Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/164544
In the exclusive Penthouse Bar of Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills, Manager Jarred Tosto and Lorne Cousin inspect the restaurant's rare bottle of The Balvenie 50 Year Old, one of only ten in the United States and which the restaurant sells for $3,700 a pour. Careful observation of the bottle shows that two drinks have already been sold. "D on't make eye contact," I whispered to The Balvenie West Coast Brand Ambassador Lorne Cousin as we walked into the garden terrace of The Restaurant at Chateau Marmont, a discreet celebrity hideaway in the foothills just off L.A.'s Sunset Strip. After all, this was Hollywood—well, technically West Hollywood—and following strict show biz etiquette, cameras and owl-eyed ogling at the people around you were verboten. So I couldn't be sure whether that was really Angelina Jolie at the table next to us, or her stunt double. But I'm pretty confident Kim Kardashian was surreptitiously mixing cocktails at the bar, obviously hoping for tips. Of course, Lorne was familiar with these scenarios, as this was part of his well-traveled territory, which encompasses the expanses of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado. Nonetheless, a few ears around us twitched in our direction when Lorne leaned across the table and said, "I'd like to buy you a 40-year-old." Things settled back down when Dennis Severse, the Service Manager at Chateau Marmont, approached bearing a glass of The Balvenie 40 Year Old, a whisky that announced its presence with a rich bouquet of sherried honey. My first sip brought added complexities of tobacco, caramelized sugar and vanilla. "They have one of the most extensive selections of The Balvenie in L.A.," said Lorne, adding that the clientele of Chateau Marmont would expect nothing less. "That 40 Year Old you're drinking is from Batch Number 4, which is made up of six European oak sherry butts. Batch No. 3 consisted of three American oak ex-bourbon hogsheads and three sherry butts, but Batch No. 2 wasn't as heavily sherried as Batch No.1." Lorne definitely knows his single malt scotch. But then, that is to be expected from someone who was born in Campbeltown and literally grew up around whisky. "My father and grandfather were big single malt fans," he says, "but my first drink was from my pipe major, Tony Wilson, the man who taught me to play the bagpipes. He was pipe major for the Campbeltown Pipe Band, which performed with Paul McCartney and his band Wings on their hit record Mull of Kintyre in 1977." Yes, along with his other interests, which include soccer, sailing, and scuba-diving, Lorne is an accomplished piper, the only Brand Ambassador with that distinction—although he mentioned that Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman and the distillery's Head Cooper, Ian MacDonald, are also pipers, which led me to speculate that a William Grant Pipers Three band might be something to ponder. As it is, Lorne has played professionally for such notables as actor Sir Sean Connery, Princess Anne in Scotland and the Duke of Edinburgh. However, the gig that changed his life occurred in 2002, when Paul McCartney's daughter, Stella, asked Lorne to play the bagpipes at her wedding. One of the guests captivated by his music was Stella's friend, Madonna. "I didn't think much about it," said Lorne, "but two years later Madonna called me and said, 'I saw you at Stella's wedding. I loved the bagpipes. Tell me about them. Tell me about the kilts.' So I told her, and she said, 'Would you like to come on tour with me?'" Lorne did not have to think about that twice. By the time the tour ended, music had become his life. Thus, he came to America and started a band called, appropriately enough, DRAM!. But being a full-time musician in America, especially one who plays bagpipes, can be a tenuous existence. Through it all, however, Lorne remained a Scotch whisky devotee. Lorne Cousin is a man of many talents. 92 / the tasting panel / september 2013 TP0913_063-103.indd 92 8/22/13 9:24 PM