-Lance
Friday, March 12, 2021
One Year, 70 Scotches, and My Father-in-Law
Standing on a verdant sea cliff in the Scottish Highlands, the briny breeze in our hair, warmed by a blanket of local single malt whisky—that’s where we were supposed to be. It was March 2020 and, like all travel, our trip to the UK was canceled. My husband and I found ourselves instead sheltering in place with a toddler, venturing no further than the refrigerator to crack another stress beer. If you’ve never been in quarantine with a toddler, it’s best compared to the movie Snakes on a Plane: They’re everywhere, they bite, and there’s no escape. So when two small bottles of amber liquid appeared on our porch with a note, “Zoom scotch tasting,” we welcomed the distraction.
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Dang, hats off for the FIL. Nicely done, for finding a way to keep the family together. I might be a wine guy, could never acquire the taste for scotch, but appreciate the dad's enthusiasm for the project, and a nicely written article to boot.
ReplyDeleteLearned to enjoy scotch in my freshman year at the University of the South. My first taste of single malt was in 1973 on board the USS Guadalcanal. It was a few years before single malts were available in Stateside. I well remember the first joyful taste of Glenlivet. Needless to say, only single malts grace my cabinet. Looking forward to trying some of the labels recommended.
ReplyDeleteLearned to enjoy scotch in my freshman year at the University of the South. My first taste of single malt was in 1973 on board the USS Guadalcanal. It was a few years before single malts were available in Stateside. I well remember the first joyful taste of Glenlivet. Needless to say, only single malts grace my cabinet. Looking forward to trying some of the labels recommended.
ReplyDeleteBottle of Glenlivet.
ReplyDeletePack of Sobranie Black Russians.
Backs against a tree.
Good friend.
Good conversation.
Until both bottle and box were emptied.
Mike, The Laird, I wish you well wherever you are.
Glenlivit and Sobranie’s comment was me. Hit publish too early.
ReplyDeleteWiscoDave
I am with you Dave. Yes my father in law got me on it. I loved that man. Can't do the Laphroig that peat must only be for the Scottish not Irish.
DeleteMy go single-malt scotch is Aberlour A'bunadh. Add a little Topo Chico to open it up and I'm in heaven.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story. What a great hobby to chase the lock down doldrums.
ReplyDeleteI was introduced to Scotch by a woman I was dating 40 odd years ago. Cutty Sark. Nasty stuff. When I drink Scotch these days it's usually Black Label, a nice smokey blended. I have a bottle of single malt, Ancnoc, given to me as gift by one of my sons, purchased at the duty free shop in Heathrow. This scotch is clear. I don't think it is aged. It tastes mostly like what I imagine white lightening might, rocket fuel. ;-))
I purchased a bottle of Laphroig at the duty free shop at Heathrow 30 or so years ago. It has long since been enjoyably consumed. I might have to acquire another bottle next time I visit the liquor store. What with duties and regular in state liquor taxes, a 750ml bottle of ten year is ~$90.00, near the average of the bottles in the story.
Nemo
My body is telling me that I can't drink very often any more, but I miss Scotch. Single malts please.
ReplyDeleteIt is hands down the most unique and wonderful experience you can poor down your drink hole. Just an explosion of sensations, aromas, flavors, it is not just taste buds at work.
Interesting because with a small group of friends we've been doing a socially distanced taste testing around the backyard campfire ring of some Texas produced whiskies which include a Texas single malt. Whiskey is best shared and something about a campfire gets people to tell truth. Readers here would be welcome at my campfire!
ReplyDeleteTechnically, Scotland is the worlds only source of whiskey, or Uisage, aque vitae... you don’t have to lose a fortune in the hunt though. Some of the blends are amazing. The Japs were so taken with the stuff they bought most of the distilleries. They make a right fine approximation over there in the land of the rising sun.
ReplyDeleteIf you want the best education in malts check out a book called ‘Still Life in a Bottle’ by a fella name of Stedman.
You’ll laugh yer ass off an learn sumthin ta boot.
I had the great joy of sharin about a thirty year old bottle of Laphroig (otherwise known as Leapfrog to the cognoscenti in these parts) during the Y2K Burns Night supper. It was so good I ran out, well as nearly as I could run, the next day and bought three more fine bottles for the upcoming end of the world. Been nursing them babies gently for twenty years now wetting corks an such. My original plan was to sit on the porch sipping good uisage an smokin my pipe til the barley juice run out then commence to crackin heads. Looks like I still might get the chance, at least the slow ones. LOL
Craicher
We're an older lot. I loved the taste and aroma descriptions. Me? A devoted
ReplyDeletebourbon man. My older brothers, we of Scotts-Irish descent, tried to teach me to drink Scotch Whisky. I remember telling them, after trying a scotch they recommended, that it was like drinking bog water through a frogs ass. I finally found a few I like, but alas, cannot afford. All is well.
Jeffersonian