Posted on 09/04/2009 4:07:49 PM PDT by JoeProBono
It is the era of designer drinks: bubblegum martinis, vodka essences, caffeinated schnapps. You name it. In spite of all their flair and fun, when you sit down to really enjoy a drink for the craftsmanship and complexity, you really only have a few good choices, and they were usually created over a decade ago.
For years I had been a wine guy (not whinny, mind you). I took the classes, began to dig into certain vintages and the regions and vineyards around the world, and I developed a taste for the European wines, which tended to be drier and have more varied, less fruity flavors. Yet in the midst of all the serious study of the art of wine, it cracked me up when a sommelier remarked that a wine had a "certain pee de chat aroma" (a fancy way of saying it smells like cat pee) with a straight face.
Try reading a review of a good wine as you walk down the isles of your favorite liquor store and you will see flavors like "tar," "tobacco," and "sulfur." Mmmmm.(?) While tasty and amusing, wine didn't quite do it for me.
My father was once told by his physician to have some wine or a beer in the evenings to calm himself down. I took note, having suffered from being unable to control my stress levels at times, and began to search for a nightcap of my own to help me relax in the evenings. Naturally, I started with wine. It didn't quite satisfy, so I moved on to trying different cognacs. Again, not quite what I was looking for.
Then I remembered my 100 year-old grandmother. Her nightcap of choice was an affordable Scotch. So I bought a bottle of Glenmorangie at my local Costco (the cashier remarked that his customers were happily surprised to find it on hand) and thoroughly enjoyed every drop. Now I fully expect to live to be 100. So why is Scotch the perfect drink? It has a complexity similar to what a good wine will have. The vast array of flavors is always surprising. The bite of the alcohol is wonderful. The variety of good Scotches is enough to last a lifetime. The history of the spirit is rich. It does wonders for a good night's sleep. And a flask of good Scotch seems to improve one's poker playing skills, I've found.
With any new endeavor, such as striving to become a connoisseur of Scotch Whisky, questions arise that beg to be answered:
As for Scotch, I prefer redheads and single malts ;)
Glenlivet is good, but the best blended I ever tasted belonged to a friend in college - Johnny Walker but not a black or red label, it was the color of aged paper with black lettering...incredible stuff. Haven't seen any like it since.
Thank you ... wonderful montage.
I wish for those young Scotsmen, to age as gracefully as Sean Connery has. He’s like an venerable Islay malt.
I personally like Famous Grouse! Very smooth and reasonably priced. If price wasn’t an issue, I’d drink Johnny Blue all day long!
The only way to drink good scotch is neat.
Don’t drink bad scotch!
IIRC your Scotch needs *something* ... what was it? McClelland’s?
Bourbon List ping.
Reply or Freepmail me to get on the Bourbon Ping List.
God is great, beer is good, and alcohol snobs are crazy. -Billy Currington
They didn’t play that last night but a good concert, all-in-all.
The Chicago Theatre is a GREAT place to see a concert. That and walking around downtown Chicago at midnight is really cool.
Have you tried Cuervo’s “Black Medallion”? I’m no fan of Tequila but this I can sip on in the cool of a summer’s evening.
If he don’t like it, get a better boss.
You ain't kidding! Unless it's cask strength, and a drop or two of water unleashes the taste and vapors.
I offered my classless brother-in-law a dram of my 25 year old Lagavulin and the tosser prompty added some coca cola to it! The stuff is $275/bottle, and he's adding friggin' cola!
On another note, I've found it humorous while having breakfast in Scotland when, at some places, a bottle of rotgut Bell's is sitting alongside the porridge. Nothing like a quick lift of the constitution at 9am by having porridge and whisky!
You Islay whisky lovers owe it to yourself to make a journey to that lovely island. 8 distilleries, all of them right on the ocean. The most stunning is Caol Ila, which is situated on the sound between Islay and Jura, with a magnificent view of the Paps of Jura, 2500' mountains that rise right out of the ocean.
I love scotch, but I can’t really afford it.
I’m very lucky my favorite scotch is a cheap blend- Highland mist.
They get 9 AM whiskey without getting called alcohol abusers? Looks like I need to get on a plane.
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