My sommelier for the evening was none other than scotch connoisseur Dennis Scott and his well-equipped MacWhirr’s Library Bar. First he walked me through the difference between single malt and blended scotch; single malt being made from only one grain and at one distillery; blended being for d-bags. Next we discussed the different scotch producing regions and what is appropriately referred to as the Peat scale-- more on this in a second. Denny arranged a flight of scotches for me to blindly sample so that I could first find which region suited my tastes. This sampler included Speyside, Highland, Mid Land and Low Land scotches.Speyside (I tried The Cragganmore) was described as the cleanest of the samples, which I didn’t fully appreciate until the tasting was done. It was good, but since it was the first in the lineup, I wasn’t ready to call it a favorite yet. Next I tried two Highlands (The Dalwhinnie and Glenmorangie) and was instantly happy. The taste was much more similar to my beloved Jim Beam. From there I journeyed down to Mid Land (Highland Park), and this is where it started to go down hill. This aforementioned Peat scale is a reference to the presence of what can only be described as the taste of earthy-smoky-tobacco-moss in your mouth. Doesn’t sound appealing? That’s because it’s not. At all. By the time I got to the Low Lands (Laphroaig and Talisker) I was ready to spit out my last sample.
Once I finished the flight it wasn't too hard to pick my favorite. The Dalwhinnie has it!! The Cragganmore earned an honorable mention. I sipped on a glass and enjoyed. And now I can happily hold my own in a scotch debate, which I will gladly do with any of you over a glass of Beam on the rocks.
3 down; 27 to go
I've been to that bar!
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