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:
I prefer good tequila.
I found it to be an acquired taste, and once acquired, it was tough to drink anything else.
I no longer drink and haven’t for 25 years....
I do miss it.
I am left with an occasional beer on my boat or a wine with dinner from time to time.
I’ve been thinking of buying a bottle of expensive brandy and keeping it hidden in my nightstand or in my gun locker. ;>)
Now that I have turned 60, I think I am supposed to hide a bottle of something to sip, from time to time.
Wish that I could.
But I will be spending it at my other brother’s home who does not drink.
Always tasted like lighter fluid to me....now bourbon is something else :o)
Yes! If scotch whiskey had a sound, this would be it.
Dewars ad:
“You thought girls were yucky once too.”
Here’s the TRUTH about how each Scotch distillery gets such a unique taste. Remember how each distillery takes its water from the nearest stream? They tell you that it’s the peat used in the process, but really...those streams are draining all the water from the fells and glenns...all full of sheep.
Yep, all that sheep wee-wee filters into the ground water...
It’s still the best stuff...loved it when I had the taste for it...
Runs about $12 in Ohio ....
THE SIX CLASSIC MALTS OF SCOTLAND.
My current favorite.
No thanks. When I was about 16, I drank half a bottle of Glenfiddich. Cured me for life.
Admitting a limit to the wallet, I have found over the past 35 years or so that you likely can’t go wrong with any single malt Scotch more than 15 years old...
I second your vote for The Glenlivet 15 year old. I like it better than the 16 year old Nadurra, or the 18 year old. I haven’t the heart to open my 21 year old Archive yet.
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