Scotch - A primer for beginners
This entry was posted on 10/22/2006 12:39 PM and is filed under Drink.
As many of you reading this blog know, my favorite drinks are good vodka and good bourbon.
However, a friend of mine convinced me to try Scotch and, while it is still not my favorite drink, it is a good one on the right occasion.
I have now tried a variety of Scotches including, Dewars, Chivas Regal (12 & 18 year old), Laphroaig, Glenmorangie, and Glenlivet to name a few.
First, there are basically two types of Scotches. The first are single malts and the second are blends.
Single malt Scotch is a type of Scotch whiskey, distilled by a single distillery, using malted barley as the only grain ingredient.
This is in contrast to a blended Scotch whiskey which consists of a
mixture of single malt Scotch whiskeys and Scottish grain whiskey(ies)
created from corn (maize), wheat, and/or unmalted barley.
A blend that uses only single malt whiskeys is known as a "blended malt", "pure malt", or "vatted malt".
Right now my favorite are the 18 year old Chivas Regal and the Glenmorangie that is aged in Sherry casks. The 18yo Chivas is expensive (slightly more than $60 a bottle) but has a much softer and rounded taste than the 12 yo. The Glenmorangie has sweet overtones imparted by the Sherry cask and is excellent as an after dinner drink. It also matches well with several cigars, particularly a Griffin No.1.
Scotch has a very distinctive flavor and, perhaps more than any other alcohol, a higher price usually means a better drink. Also the more age a Scotch has the smoother the taste.
There are also a huge amount of differences between different brands. For years I refused to try Scotch because my first experience was with a cheaper variety I dislike intensely. I have now tried many different brands. Some I like, some I dislike, but overall Scotch is an experience that I will continue to enjoy.
