Scotch Whiskey: A Rugged Drink for a Rugged Land

The NY Times ^ | 071603 | R.W. Apple

[Hue68]

"Scotch Wiskey, it's not just for breakfast anymore!"

I drank single malt for ten years...then I heard my doctor's terrible words.."you are allergic to iodine..." Many Scotch' drinks are full of iodine..from the peat that the fogs and seaborne rains have saturated over time. I have had several near death experiences with iodine..during x-rays or from eating crab. Finally, my doctor said.."your chronic allergies are caused by scotch!" I now drink only beer..Sigh..

[djf]

Gentlemans bump, as there are still over four hours here on the west coast to indulge! (And I plan to!)
Love these threads where people just show they are happy to be alive.

[Aarchaeus]

For me it's Dewar's and soda...

That's disgusting! Taking good Scotch and contaminating it with soda-pop! Braa-aack!!!!

[Gigantor]

Oban

Yeah baby!

[ALASKA]

Oban, after reading all this, I had to search around and find the 1/4 wee dram I had left. Just the smell is heavenly................

[wideminded]

The "sour beer," known as "wash," is then run successively through a pair of heated stills, bulbous at the bottom, narrow at the top, with a swan's neck extending down to a coiled copper pipe in a tank of cold water that converts the resulting vapor back into liquid. The first part of the run (the foreshots) and the last (the feints), both full of impurities, are eliminated.

I'm not much of a drinker, but I have always been curious about the distilling process. If I understand the description correctly, whiskey must be composed entirely of volatile compounds. And these must tend to be driven off at varying rates so that the composition of the final whiskey changes as it is collected. Is it necessary to add water to adjust the proof or does that all come throught the tube?

[SLB]

I have my asbestos suit on - as I couldn't stand scotch! In my days of bellying up to the bar nothing was finer than a little Kentucky Bourbon. But scotch? Eccccccchhhhhhhhhh

Actually nothing beats a glass of mint ice tea.

[Fifth Business]

I think that Premium is the best for the money, followed closely by Black, The blue is very good, much better than Black, but much more expensive.

Very nicely stated. I like the Blue better than the Gold, but it's just not worth the money if you imbibe regularly. The Gold is a great value at $50-60. It's exquisite.

Have you found a single malt that has the same balance? I've tried dozens, but they are so idiosyncratic and imbalanced that I keep returning to JW. I do like The MacAllen, but I am suspicious that the sherry may be providing some of the body on the mid-palate and flavor on the finish.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Scotland: Home of rugged men, homely women, strong whiskey and a bunch of sheep.

No wonder the sheep are nervous.

[WhiteGuy]

bump

[LibWhacker]

Bartender, a shot of Laphroaig for my left hand and a shot of Macallan for my right!

[B-Chan]

Best thread ever.

The Glenlivet 18 is paradise in a glass. I use the 12 for scotch 'n' soda. I can't afford Laphroaig, although I have developed a taste for the Speysides of late.

As for Irish: I only drink Jameson. (Bushmill's is the Protestant whisky).

Eternal bookmark. I love scotch.

[AnAmericanMother]

There are many people with excellent taste on this thread!

If you think the 15 y.o. Laphroaig is good, try the 30 y.o. "Great Auk" bottling. It will knock your socks off. (It will also give your wallet a beating.)

I don't like Islay whiskies as a general rule, even the Lagavulin that's a stone's throw from Laphroaig, but it's the best single malt there is. My husband collects single malts, but I stick to the Laphroaig 10 for general sipping, and the 30 for special occasions.

slàinte mhor, slàinte mhath!

[chilepepper]

Please realize that the hotter side of hell is reserved for those that mix it with anything except a small ice cube at most.

read somewhere that the "right" way is to mix in a single teaspoon of water (which would be equivalent of the single really small icecube, but all at once)... works for me!

[AnAmericanMother]

The "professional Highlanders" order their single malt with a small tumbler of water on the side, and take alternate sips. NOTHING should profane the best single malt! (We drink it out of tiny aquavit glasses with a tumbler of water on the side.)

[Malacoda]

I've had the 15 year old....o, my, is it wonderful.

Lately, I've tried and liked the Aberfoyle, as well.

It's my Scots ancestry....nothing beats a wee dram of the GOOD stuff, even if it offends my Scottish wallet sense!

[JoeSixPack1]

Some things in life are best left pure.

[Eala]

Glen Fiddich

Had a bit of fun with a co-worker several years ago when he asked me what "Glen Fiddich" meant in English. It was difficult, esp. because the name isn't in Gaelic orthography. The best I could come up with was "Valley of the White Worm" (or something like that).

Later I learned it was from older Gaelic, "of the Deer."

[LibWhacker]

Bowmore might be worth a try. Seems to me I used to get 10-yr-old Bowmore at Trader Joes for half the price of a 10-yr-old Macallan. Almost as good, too!

[AnAmericanMother]

My faithful old "Dwelly's Gaelic-English Dictionary" (1911) tells me that "fiadaich" means "abounding in deer." It's the a's dropping out that makes the confusion. . . they should have dropped the i's, but Dwelly was the first to try to standardize Gaelic orthography.