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I am not a Scotch or whiskey drinker; I am asking FReepers on behalf of a friend of mine. He used to drink Johnnie Walker Black, and insists they changed something to make it inferior. The price on Black has since gone down. Then, he switched to Gold and sometimes Blue. He thinks the Gold has gone downhill, and the "jury" is still out on the quality of the Blue. I'd like to buy him a bottle of something nice that will make him happy. But, as I said above, I'm not a Scotch drinker so I'd be an ineffective...

Bill Clinton reveals it took Hillary 'six months of very serious work to get over' her concussion after accident - so why did State Department claim that she 'fully recovered' a month later Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suffered a concussion and blood clot in December 2012, for which she was hospitalized for three days Karl Rove suggested last week that Hillary Clinton is hiding something about her health On Tuesday Bill Clinton spoke out about his wife's health and said 'there's nothing to' the Republican's claims Hillary's concussion 'required six months of very serious work to get over,'...

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...

It smelled like bacon. I was afraid to say it out loud, though—I doubt any real food and drink connoisseurs compare the smell of some grand old Scotch to an everyday pork product, but that’s what my nose captured. In the heart of Edinburgh, in a room walled with brass- and bronze-colored bottles, I sniffed more and more whisky and soon captured a whole rainbow of aromas: cloves, apples, vanilla, sage and strawberries. And that smokiness I smelled as bacon? That comes from the Scottish peat they burn when heating the mix. Not everyone loves whisky, but as alcohol goes,...

How Scottish Scientists Re-Created a Hundred-Year-Old Whisky Preserved in Antarctica since 1907, the Scotch that Ernest Shackleton drank is now available in stores In 1907, Ernest Shackleton and crew set out on the ship Nimrod to visit Antarctica and, they hoped, the South Pole. The good news was, the entire party survived the trip, thanks in part to the Rare Old Highland Whisky they brought to the frozen continent. But the expedition was forced to evacuate in 1909, some 100 miles short of the Pole they sought. And, as winter ice encroached and the men hurried home, they left behind...

I am needing some help in buying a gift for my husband please. I have about $80 left to spend for this christmas gift. He knows the other gifts he is getting and I would really like to surprise him with this one. I know he would love a good scotch. Money has been very very tight until about a month ago and the best scotch I have seen him ever buy is Makers Mark but he'll say that it is okay but not great. I have no idea what is good in this price range. I read a prior...

I need some advice. I have a very special friend who loves good Scotch. He has everything else, so I thought I might wrap up a good Scotch for Christmas. I know he'll use this, unlike some worthless gift he won't want (I actually got him a massage for his birthday last sumer and he wouldn't go -- it's a macho thing). Okay I know this thread is going to raise some silly answers, but I am a beer drinker, and don't know a thing about the "refined" spirits. Id appreciate any serious answers to my question.

Methods for distinguishing between authentic and counterfeit Scotch whisky brands have been devised by scientists at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Researchers from the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry have found new ways to compare the content of whisky samples to determine if they are the whisky on the label or an imitation brand. A series of blind tests successfully put the real whisky brand and the fakes in the right categories. The system could enhance the technology industry uses to tackle the trade in illicit whisky, which costs huge sums in lost revenue and threatens brand reputation....

A US government delegation has been invited to Scotland in a bid to overturn its 40-year ban on haggis. Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead's invitation comes two days ahead of Burns Night, when suppers are held in honour of poet Robert Burns.

Here's the deal. I've never been much for any type of whiskey. I have some single malt that's almost gone and I really didn't care that it was (it's taken me years to go through one bottle)...but. I've suddenly found Rusty Nails: 2 parts scotch 1 part Drambuie twist of lemon Sweet but not cloying like straight Drambuie. Just a really nice sipping cocktail ("sipping"...what a concept). But while I have plenty of Drambuie in the house I'm about out of scotch. So I need a recommendation of a decent scotch for mixing. I don't want swill but I'm not...

Just spoke with old friend, very senior retired USN skipper. Says his contacts, many of whom were his "boys," are concerned with how stupid the MSM and Americans are and at how the Internet has fueled rampant ignorance. As I was calling him, he was calling me to call my military and IC friends to have a laugh and share some scotch to ease our aching heads.

Hi Friends, I am a Scotch and Whiskey novice for the most part. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy Jack Daniels and Johnny Walker, but I’m limited in my knowledge of these two great liquors. The other day I realized that if the euro continues its fall and the dollar strengthens I will be able to buy more imported booze at cheaper prices (I know what you’re thinking, thanks Captain Obvious). So if this is the case (and hopefully it is) what would FReepers recommend as good imported liquor particularly in the Scotch and Whiskey categories? Best, -Erod

EDINBURGH, Scotland, - It was love at first taste for aficionados who gathered in Edinburgh, Scotland, to sip a 70-year-old Scotch whiskey, the world's oldest malt whiskey. The Mortlach 70-year-old Speyside, bottled in a hand-blown crystal decanter with a silver stopper, made its debut to enthusiasts at Edinburgh Castle Thursday, The Times of London reported Friday. David Urquhart and Michael Urquhart, grandsons of a former owner of Gordon and MacPhail's Scotch producers, are making the Speyside product available in 54 full-size bottles and in 162 smaller bottles to the public. But sipping the septuagenarian Scotch ain't cheap, The Times said....

Scotch whisky meant to warm Antarctic explorers retrieved after century locked in ice Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand - This Scotch has been on the rocks for a century. Five crates of Scotch whisky and two of brandy have been recovered by a team restoring an Antarctic hut used more than 100 years ago by famed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. Ice cracked some of the bottles that had been left there in 1909, but the restorers said Friday they are confident the five crates contain intact bottles "given liquid can be heard when the crates are moved." New Zealand Antarctic...

<p>WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A beverage company has asked a team to drill through Antarctica's ice for a lost cache of some vintage Scotch whiskey that has been on the rocks since a century ago.</p> <p>The drillers will be trying to reach two crates of McKinlay and Co. whiskey that were shipped to the Antarctic by British polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton as part of his abandoned 1909 expedition.</p>

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...

Didn't see this.

More than 20,000 people joined a march and rally in Kilmarnock in the latest step of a campaign to try and force the company to reconsider. Among those present were Alex Salmond, the First Minister, and Des Browne, the former Scottish Secretary, who said that the protest showed Diageo had "got it wrong". The firm has announced that it will close the plant in the town, which has been linked with Johnnie Walker since 1820, with the loss of 700 jobs. A further 200 jobs are to go with the closure of its distillery in Port Dundas, Glasgow, although 400...

Take a load off with one of these wonderful scotch whiskies. [1]Johnnie Walker Black Label Perfectly rounded, deep and full, this is the blended Scotch most admired by blenders. If I had to take only one whisky to a desert island, it would probably be this one. 40 per cent ABV [2]Lagavulin 16 Year Old The prince of the Islay malts, this is deep and dark, with notes of fruitcake and sweet seaweed. A voluptuous texture and a fragrant, smoky finish. For drinking with poetry, late into the night. 43 per cent ABV [3]The Glenrothes 1985 A big, rich Speyside,...

I need to suck-up to my boss. He is a scotch drinker. I know nothing about scotch. What can I purchase for him that will really impress him?