"scotch" news and stories

Let's just call this year "Suntory time."

For the first time, whiskey produced outside of Scotland has won awards for best in the world by Whisky Magazine.

In the single malt competition, Yoichi 20 years old, which is distilled near the city of Sapporo on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, beating out a number of other ostly Scottish brands. Judges chose Yoichi 20 for its "amazing mix of big smoke and sweet blackcurrant," "explosive aroma" and "big, long and sweet finish." The best blended whiskey award went to Suntory Hibiki, the same brand that was used in the movie Lost in Translation (hence, "Suntory time").

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So, is it a coincidence that National Scotch Day falls on a Friday?

Answer: Yes, but the coincidence works out well. Now you can knock down a few after you leave work for the weekend, just like they do in 1950s movies where men worked in suits.

The first drink that comes to mind when I hear the word Scotch (besides Scotch on the Rocks, of course), is Scotch and Soda. Here's a recipe (it's scotch and, um, soda). Here's a recipe for a Blood and Sand, from the 1922 Rudolph Valentino movie. Actually, here's a whole page of Scotch recipes. Please be aware that some of the drink names on that page are NSFSEAE -- not safe for senstive ears and eyes. You've been warned.

Don't forget the history of Scotch Whiskey.

Did you know that the first print ad for Johnnie Walker, which appeared in 1883, featured a Scotsman bawling over a broken bottle at his feet? Me neither, until I read Modern Drunkard's Ten Greatest Alcohol Icons of All Time. The jaunty chap with the top hat, tails and walking stick didn't appear until 1909. Originally known as the "Regency Buck," the iconic figure underwent a name change to become "The Striding Man." I also learned that Johnnie Walker is Superman's libation of choice.

It comes as no surprise that the whimsical Guinness Toucan appears on MD's list. The bird was introduced in the 1930s and had a 50-year run until its retirement in 1982. While many a tippler is familiar with this brightly colored fellow sporting a pint of the black stuff balanced on his beak, few know the little poem that accompanied the original advertisement: "If he can say as you can/'Guinness is good for you'/How grand to be a Toucan!/Just think what Toucan do."

Most of the other icons on the list, including Mr. Boston, the Bacardi Bat and The Wild Turkey were familiar to me with the exception of The Hamm's Bear. Heck, I've never even heard of Hamm's Beer much less the wacky cartoon bear that represented the brand in a series of commercials that involved all sorts of high jinks ranging from pie fights and such to more serious capers such as robbery and arson. Rather than list all of the icons here I thought I'd let folks read through the MD piece.

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Wood finished single malt Scotch is a style that has a solid past, but until recently you only saw a few examples of it. In the past few years they have started becoming more common. Scotch is traditionally aged for up to ten or more years in used Bourbon Casks. With wood finishing the Scotch is additionally aged for two or more years in casks that previously had another libation aged in them, usually a wine or fortified wine such as Port, Sherry, Madeira, Burgundy, etc. This makes the Scotch very complex and full flavored, the wine soaked wood bringing in additional layers of flavor and characteristics that you wouldn't normally have.

Wood finishing is now becoming a hot trend because the resulting product has a sweeter and fruitier taste that is more accessible to the new Scotch drinker than some of the more traditional, smoky, and full bodied Scotch's. The style started to be fully examined in the 1970's with a lot of research and experimentation going on. Of course the makers of Scotch are traditionalists, so there has been an uproar about whether the style is being used to cover up weak tasting and flawed Scotch, but after the dust settled down the style has become accepted as valid. It is now a solid part of the single malt market with many extremely fine examples to enjoy. For some reasonably priced and very nice examples check out this list from an LA Times article.

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With the holidays chugging along it's the time of year for giving special gifts to our friends. I like to give spirits to raise my friends spirits during the holidays and this year there are more products available than ever, especially for Scotch lovers with tons of limited edition and special bottlings available. My mouth is watering just reading about them and I am quivering in my seat in anticipation of a taste or three. Here is a baker's dozen that Forbes.com brought to my attention and you can't go wrong with any of these fabulous Scotch's. Just the type of gifts I hope I end up receiving this year. Hint, hint! Some may be beyond your budget (and mine) but we can all dream, can't we?

• Compass Box Oak Cross, Highlands, 43%abv, $40
• Auchentoshen, Lowlands, 55.8%abv, $85
• Talisker 175 Anniversary Edition, Sky, 45.8%abv, $100
• Glenlivet 21 Year Old, Speyside, 52.3%abv, $130
• Bruichladdich Twenty Year Old Second Edition Flirtation, Islay, 46%abv, $185
• Highland Park 1982 Cask No. 443, Orkney, 57.9%abv, $200
• Caol Ila 25 Year Old, Islay, 59.4%abv, $230
• Deanston 30 Year Old, Highlands, 46.7%abv, $260
• Scapa 25 Year Old, Orkney, 54%abv, $300
• Glenmorangie Margaux Cask 1987, Highlands, 46%abv, $450
• Balvenie 1971 Single Cask, Highlands, 47.1%abv, $549
• Bowmore 1968 37 Year Old, Islay, 43.4%abv, $1,000
• Macallan Fifty Year Old Lalique Decanter, Speyside, $5,995

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