<a href="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/balvenie-caribbean-cask.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2293" title="balvenie caribbean cask" src="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/balvenie-caribbean-cask.jpg" alt="" width="599" height="283" /></a>

Last week, the MANjr team attended the LA launch of Balvenie's 14  Year Old Caribbean Cask, an extra smooth single malt scotch that starts  it's life in a whisky barrel and finishes up in a golden Caribbean rum  cask. The Cuban/Carribean-themed tasting event took place at <a href="http://www.ladescargala.com/ld.html" target="_blank">La  Descarga</a>, a nifty bar that gives you a taste of old Havana in Hollywood.

The entrance to the venue set the tone for the night. After climbing  up some stairs you walk into a plain-looking office room and are greeted  by a host. The host then opens up a cabinet door and instructs you to  enter. After you push aside some Hawaiian shirts you see a metallic  spiral staircase in front of you that descends into a chill bar/lounge  with an intimate speakeasy vibe.

A special Caribbean-inspired cocktail menu was prepared that featured five different scotch concoctions:
<ul>
	<li>Stirred Up Scotsman</li>
	<li> Wembley Sour</li>
	<li> Caribbean Swizzle</li>
	<li> Blood and Sand</li>
	<li> Caribbean Handcraft Punch</li>
</ul>
After sampling the light and breezy Stirred Up Scotsman, I shifted my  attention to the Blood and Sand. I sipped quite a few drinks that night  (including the frothy, egg-white powered Wembley Sour), but this  cocktail was by far my favorite.

A quick journey to the back of the bar revealed a walkway to a much  appreciated, semi-outdoor cigar lounge where the awesome Aussie  bartender was serving up single-malt tasters of multiple Balvenie  bottles. The Balvenie Caribbean Cask was a smooth vehicle, but I enjoyed  the entire <a href="http://www.thebalvenie.com/" target="_blank">Balvenie</a> fleet.

After knocking back a few drinks, it was time to grab a snack. The  event was catered by a fantastic Cuban food truck. Café Con Leche had  great coffee, delicious sandwiches and they even incorporated the  Caribbean Cask action into some custom sauces that totally completed the  sandwich.

The quality scotch and savory Cuban food were both big hits, but the  highlight of the night was the 5-minute presentation by Nicholas  Pollacchi, the Balvenie Ambassador. I’ve been to scotch tastings before  where the ambassador of the spirit lays it down real thick. Like you  really have a palette sophisticated enough to identify 35 different  complimentary combinations of aromatic mixological madness. Pollacchi's  approach was much better. A quick, light-hearted presentation on the  spirit followed by a tasting that let the scotch speak for itself. As  Nicholas put it, he's not a big fan of highlighting the taste of  "children playing in daffodils" or quality ingredients "picked by  left-handed people." Hey let's the spirit do the talking. It was an  efficient and entertaining presentation that allowed the Caribbean Cask