Scotch: It's more than a pub and a pipe

Drinking Scottish whiskey in its homeland: a final post from Scotland!

It’s a fact: Scotch whiskey is more than a drink. It’s a medical necessity.

The country is so dreich (Scottish English for depressing, cold and miserable) that even a wine drinker like me turns to Scotch, preferably sipping it in a cozy wood-paneled bar, in front of a fire, after a cold day hiking on the moor.

The Scotch experience can be easy; just belly up to the bar and say, “gimme a scotch” and feel that warm glow as you sip.  At heart, Scottish whiskeys are all the same. They are: 

• made in Scotland

• made from some combination of malted barley, water and yeast

• aged at least 3 years and a day.

The Scotch whiskey experience can also be complicated. Consider all the options from the 6 Scotch producing regions (all with their own uniqueness), 150 distilleries, 325 brands, and more sub-brands and bottlers, single malts and blends than stars in the sky.

Two  recommendations for classic Scotch from the Isles

I discovered I liked smokey, peaty, expensive whiskey from the Islands in the Northland. (I’m talking to you, Isle of Skye). Here are two of my favorites:

Two Scotch recommendations

Scotch and Tablets: a sublime partnership

My greatest discovery was how well a sip of scotch pairs with my favorite Scottish candy: Tablets.

Tablets are Scotland’s preferred after-dinner sweet treat. They are not just some kind of vanilla fudge. I promise. They are a national treasure and they are found everywhere. What’s on the table after a fancy restaurant dinner: a Tablet. What’s served with tea: a Tablet. What’s on your hotel room pillow: a Tablet. What do Scottish kids want most in their Christmas stockings: Tablets. You get the picture.

The confection is basically a semi-hard, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, caramel-y piece of sublime sweetness. It’s a cooked and cooled concoction made from sugar, milk, condensed milk and butter. You can easily make your own. Here’s a great recipe.

Or you can order it from Amazon. I hate shilling for Amazon, but really, this sweet is a real treat and it mixes well with a post-dinner Scotch, if you are so inclined.

The Rusty Nail, a Scotch drink Ray told me about.

I asked my fellow writer and drink expert Ray Loggins about Scotch, and he quickly conjured up Scotch’s glory days in the United States, in the 1950s and 60s. That’s when the in-group of Hollywood A-Listers (Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and an up and coming politician, John F Kennedy), partied at the 21 Club in New York, with a drink called the Rusty Nail.  

The Rusty Nail, said to have been invented at the 21 Club as a riff on an old British drink, is a heady mix of two ingredients. Scotch whiskey and Drambuie.

Drambuie, a Scottish honey whiskey liquer, has been around forever. Drambuie comes from Gaelic “a dram buidheach”, meaning "the drink that satisfies".

Legend has it that fugitive Prince Charles Edward Stewart (a.k.a. Bonnie Prince Charlie), was running, in defeat, from the Battle of Culloden in 1746. He gave the recipe for drambuie to the head of the Clan McKinnon in return for his safety.

Distilled on the western Isle of Sky, its smoothness and long finish is coupled with notes of honey (an admitted ingredient) along with cinnamon, vanilla, and fennel seed. In a previous test, Wine Spectator gave Drambuie its highest score for liquor.

How to Make a Rusty Nail

It’s oh-so-simple:

• Mix 2 parts Scotch with one part Drambuie.

• Serve over ice in an old-fashioned glass or straight up in a cocktail flute.

• Put Ol’ Blue Eyes on the turntable and enjoy.

The real question is what Scotch to use in a Rusty Nail. And what Drumbuie. Here’s what Ray says:

“There is no need for anything fancy. Something simple and straight forward will do. I love a moderately peated single malt – my personal favorite is Laphroig 10 year.

The Drambuie comes to the forefront on the tongue, so go with a moderately priced bar whiskey. I use Grants, available for about $20 at your local big box store, and my taste buds were none the wiser. Save the really good Scotch for a thoughtful sipping by the fire on a brisk evening.”

Here’s Ray, demonstrating the bar-tending behind the Rusty Nail.

So that’s it. A little history about Scotch whiskey and Drambuie, and a classic cocktail to try when you’re in the mood.

Santé

Any advice or recommendations when it comes to Scotch? Or feedback on this post? Leave a comment below:

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