Just Like Beer, Scotch Gets Canned

ABC News ^ | 09 Jan 13 | Lauren Torrisi

[Drew68]

Just when the controversy over the banned FourLoko has died down, a beverage company has come out with straight Scotch in a can, just like soda pop.

Though there’s been no uproar so far, as was the case with the alcohol-caffeine combo FourLoko, Scottish Spirits’ “Scotch in a Can” is being marketed as a “distilled and matured in Scotland for a minimum of 3 years in oak casks.” It has notes of “honey, vanilla, butterscotch, apples and pears,” and a “hint of peat and smoke in the background,” as described on their site.

Each can contains about eight shots or 12 ounces of 80-proof Scotch.

[Talisker]

This stuff should be called Emergency Room In A Can. How many people are going to drink it like a can of beer? 12 oz @ 80 proof? WTF!

I won’t even comment on the quality of the... liquid...

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

I suspect that there’s an infinite number of opinions about Scotch and wine.

The biggest problem with boxed wines is that they don’t have the “class” of bottled wine. (I’m referring to bottles with a cork — more practical screw-top bottles are considered even more déclassé than boxed wine. Wine snobs insist that wine from screw-top bottles is usually best drunk curbside, from the bottle, which is still in the brown bag its came in.) There are some decent boxed wines — apparently, they’ve become quite acceptable in Australia. When appearances matter, I decant the wine into a crystal decanter for serving (the wine aerates better in a decanter too).

[null and void]

If only the outrage were enough to raise the dead.

Miss you, guy.

[doc1019]

Thank you. Although I am neither a wine snob nor a snob of any other discipline, I always acknowledge being educated by those more knowledgeable on any subject.

[Darren McCarty]

I rarely even but beer in a can. Scotch in a can? I expect riots.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

I hope I wasn’t being pedantic.

It occurs to me that a good boxed wine might serve you well. (I’m referring to the boxes with a plastic bladder inside — not the Tetra Pak type, which don’t keep the wine from being exposed to air.) Boxed wines are perfect for the occasional drinker, as the remainder remains sealed from the air and will keep fresh for a long time. They cost less than bottled wine too (based on same-wine comparisons). Just serve in a good decanter, and no one will be the wiser (unless they look in your fridge).

[Enterprise]

“Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!”

[Mycroft Holmes]

I am somewhat of a wine snob and I would like to disagree about the cork issue. The current thinking among some of the snobs is that up to 10% of the corks are contaminated with a mold that negatively effects the taste. Some of my favorite non-plonk pinot's (~$25) currently come with a screw top.

I'm pretty ok with wine in a box too, especially from Australia. Argentina is doing some nice inexpensive wine as well.

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[Paleo Conservative]

Single malt in a six pack.

[count-your-change]

I guess it’s better than little plastic bags with a straw to poke a hole, at least the drinker can sell the aluminum cans.

[count-your-change]

Ah...a can of scotch, a paper bag, a street curb and that special someone....cheap dates are back!

[trebb]

The metal your liquid is sealed in will definitely have a bearing on the taste. Sometimes it is good and sometimes it is bad.

[9YearLurker]

The product they should have packaged—scotch in those little juice boxes. Closer to a human-sized evening’s serving and no metallic taste.

[9YearLurker]

That’s standard, no?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_glass

[Arrowhead1952]

Just what I needed to read at bedtime. I will probably have a nightmare about being chased by a Claymore.

LOL at the last few words.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

I agree with everything you said. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the word "snob" (I certainly never meant to imply that doc1019 was a wine snob). What I was trying to convey was that there's so much je ne sais quoi (tradition, ceremony, mystique, display) associated with wine that it can get in the way of the practical realities. I am, unfortunately, quite familiar with cork taint. Screw-tops don't get tainted; and that's one of the reasons that screw-top bottles are actually superior to the corked type -- despite that considerable advantage they are still considered somewhat déclassé.

I don't consider myself a "snob", and am certainly not a "connoisseur" of fine wines. However, I have learned what I can to educate my palate. I can't afford to spend more than about $30/bottle -- and prefer to spend a lot less. My wife and I keep one of those wine journals (in dead tree form, although it might be time to switch to an app). We like to search for value-priced wines -- from whatever region. We rank each wine according to: bouquet, taste, colour, legs, etc.; and keep track of the best deals. It's a money-saver, and adds to the enjoyment too. We age some of the bargain red wines in our wine cooler too.

I remember when "Two-buck Chuck" was the rage (we never got those prices here in Canada). Several reviews said that blind taste tests rated it above wines costing over 20 times more. We haven't gotten nearly as good a deal; but we have sluiced quite a few nuggets out of the gravel.

As for the containers -- I prefer a good boxed wine as an everyday table wine. As I mentioned before, it comes down to: price, convenience, and preservability. A box with internal bladder is the superior packaging on all counts. Next is the screw-top bottle. The most economical is the 1.5 litre size (two ordinary bottles). I keep a few 1/2-size bottles handy and transfer what we won't drink in a setting to them -- immediately after opening the big bottle. I've found that approach cheaper, and a lot less fuss than using argon (or nitrogen, or other inert gas) in the big bottle.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

And all would be just fine — until you accidentally pack one in your kid’s lunch box, and he comes home from school jaked.

[9YearLurker]

I doubt even my kid could get down a whole box of Scotch—at least not accidentally!