Looking for something more elegant than green beer? There are a number of Irish Whiskeys and Scotch Whisky to try. If you’re going out, there is no finer establishment for drowning in whiskey than Seven Grand downtown. If you’re staying home, try this cocktail inspired by Mad Men.
Draper’s Perfect Ten:
1 oz of The Macallan Fine Oak 10
Ginger beer
Ice
Pour The Macallan Fine Oak 10 over ice, fill to top with ginger beer. Serve in high ball glass.
Although The Beat are mainly fans of Macallan, here are a few other whiskies that have caught our attention (by Bob Lee):
Bunnahabhain 12 and 18 – The bacon whisky! It was so exciting. They char the wood to get that flavor. Yum. The flavor comes from lightly peated barley and the local waters that run – under peat. Bunnahabhain, meaning rivermouth in Gaelic, has been around since 1881.
Connemara – Extremely smoky. The smokiest whiskey next to the bacon whisky. But very smooth. Ireland’s lack of extreme temperatures makes for fine whiskey. I had to include this quote from their website “Astonishingly long finish with peat clinging to every crevice in the mouth”. Mmmmm
Famous Grouse 18 – Blended from single malts by Highland Park and Macallan, this Scotch was one of the most balanced we experienced all night. The Grouse is a blend of single malts like Macallan and Highland Park.
Glenlivet Archive 21 Your standard quality Scottish whisky. The American oak imparts mandarin, vanilla, oak, rain. European oak aging makes it spicy. The 21 is aged in both, so you have some sweetness and some peppery elements.
Glenlivet Nadurra 16 – Nadurra means Natural in Gaelic, It is naturally chill filtered in cold spring water. It is extremely smoky for a Scottish whiskey. Very clean, easy to drink.
Isle Of Arran 10 Year – Exceptionally warming, like the sweaters that brought fame to the island, and sweet with hints of vanilla.
Highland Park 15 and 18 and 25 – [Bob’s note] This had come highly recommended by my brother-in-law and did not disappoint. Wonderfully deep, rich mellow flavor from both the 15 (sweet) and the 18 (smoky without overwhelming the palate.). The flavor comes from a combination of Orkney peat smoke and Spanish sherry oak.
Speyburn a traditional Speyside malt. It’s an everyday whisky, grassy citrusy, and generally enjoyed over ice nice finish less robust than many of the others. A consistent, nice whisky that doesn’t try to be something more that it is not.
Tobermorey 15 year – It tasted exactly like butterscotch. Notes of fig, orange marmalade, sherry and toffee blended to make the perfect butterscotch whiskey.[Elise’s note This is the whiskey that turned me out. It is the whiskey that made me realize after years of turning it down around campfires, at wakes and Highland Games I might actually like the stuff]. This whiskey comes from the only single malt distillery on the Isle of Mull. It is made from unpeated malted barley, and un-chill filtered.
Photo courtesy of Macallan
