So, I've been getting into scotch and I really enjoy Oban. Philip's excursion [goats.com] reminded me of something I wanted to post.

A week or so ago, a friend of mine had a birthday party at a whiskey bar in Los Angeles called Seven Grand. The place is great... walls covered with deer heads, a satirical life-sized diorama of a hunter in the reeds of the concrete-lined LA River, and more whiskeys than you can shake a stick at. Most places in LA have Jhonny Walker Black and Knobb Creek in their top shelf liquors. Seven Grand, on the other hand, started with those and Maker's Mark as the bottom of the spectrum.

I would like to believe that upon seeing this bar, Alfred would be moved to tears at the beauty... a glass display case at one end of the seating area was filled with about 100 full bottles of Maker's Mark, much like a wine bar might display their base wears. A blackboard sign near the entrance proudly states:

Four Ways for a Whisky [flickr.com]:

• Neat with a water back
• Put It On The Rocks
• Have it as a sour
• Make it an Old Fashioned

The menu was divided up by styles of whiskey (Irish, Scotch, Bourbon, Canadian, etc.) - I stayed in the scotches and instructed the bartender that my favorite to date was Oban. He readily suggested other scotches in similar styles for me to try, and was more than generous in suggesting that I examine various bottles, take smells, etc - something many bartenders are paranoid about and won't even allow, let alone proffer.

I thoroughly enjoyed tasting other whiskeys in a knowledgeable environment, and found a new scotch that I quite admire, Glenkinkie. I of course had some Oban as well to remind my tastebuds of the comparison.

I later found out that they also offer tasting platters with smaller glasses of 5 or so picks. I would have jumped on that opportunity if I had known.

If y ou plan on visiting, make sure to get in early, or aim for weeknights. Apparently sometimes it can get very crowded on weekends, especially if they have a band playing. They are a very small venue for live entertainment. If you are also a cigar aficionado, don't forget to bring your favorite as smoking is allowed on their outdoor patio - something that is hard to find in California due to the ban on smoking in bars and restaurants (or just about anywhere now it seems - including the beach).

So, I'm planning to pick up a bottle of Glenkinkie. Two different bottles of good pricey liquor makes you not only a connoisseur, but a collector! I'm hoping to extend my expensive (and difficult to find) bottle as long as I can. Good wines also grab my attentions and funds.

I'm drinking Oban [whisky.com]. What are you drinking?

ps... that flickr page isn't mine... just luckily stumbled across a picture of the sign.

Discerning Goats syncophants prefer Balvenie Doublewood [balvenie.com], as it's the choice of Phillips everywhere.

The rest of us drink whatever comes to hand, but make sure to know when we're drinking whisky, whiskey, whiskie, Uisce Beatha, bourbon, or rye.

And may be known to keep a bottle of cask-strength hidden in the cellar for just such an emergency. CRIVENS!

... What are you drinking?

Not much, I'm afraid. I was in Prague for a two week conference. While there, I certainly enjoyed the local refreshments, but about four or five days into the trip, I started noticing sharp pains high in my stomach. By the end of the trip, I could hardly stand it. I came home, went to see my physician, and sure enough, I have a gastric ulcer. Unfortunately, it's one of those not caused by H. pylori, so it will take a bit longer to treat. In any case, for at least a couple of more weeks, no alcohol, no coffee ... no life.

So the worst part of you month is the ulcer and not the two week math conference?

I've got a nice non-chill-filtered Cragganmore at home. But I have retired that to 'special occasion' status. Will stick to the Talisker and remnants of the doublewood for a while.

Two weeks of free lunches is nothing to sneeze at.

Plenty to sneeze on, of course.

You've not had too many conference lunches, have you?

Also, I can't imagine what the snuck-in made from yesterday's entree dishes look like on the 9th day. They're bad enough on the 4th of a one week conference.

On a side note, what I have on hand right now is a Glenrothes [glenrotheswhisky.com]

You've not had too many conference lunches, have you?

Wittiness failure. Insert boring-ass reply.

I stick to Bruichladdich fairly frequently these days, but the Doublewood is still a favorite, as is the Glenrothes you mention later.

I started my Scotch experiences, back in the day, with the Glenmorangie Port Wood finish, which I still enjoy. It was really interesting visiting their distillery, actually... even though we didn't get to take a tour, it was interesting tasting the various whiskies all next to each other..I think we tried the port, sherry, and the madeira "finishes". Also the "regular" 10 year old... any of the "finished" scotches were better than the regular, but I think that might just be the extra 2 years in a barrel they get. The port wood was still my favorite, even though they're changing the name to something wacky.

While I try to keep a spare bottle of something on hand for emergency purposes, I find that emergencies can be quite easy to come up with when you really want to.

"While I try to keep a spare bottle of something on hand for emergency purposes, I find that emergencies can be quite easy to come up with when you really want to."

Isn't that the only bright side to travel for work?

You get duty free scotch _and_ an emergency reason for drinking it.

Both directions, outgoing you are sad and lonely in a city you don't like. Incoming you are home with your precious partner and game consoles so you need to celebrate.

Irish Whiskey want to go to the party in my tummy? Party party!

Australia - where flying from Melbourne to Canberra counts as "International", at least enough to let you buy duty-free booze.

I'll second the 'Laddie and Balvenie, and I've become quite fond of Suntory 10 year. It's not Scotch, but it is single-malt.

Hey, they speak a different language down there and all.

I've always enjoyed The Glenlivet at my place. Never really got around to testing many different ones as I don't know anyone else around me who enjoys that beverage and if I drink alone, I get sleepy and just go to bed.

Hot damn, took a chance on Ardbeg at duty free and I wonder where this lady has been all of my life.

I must say also that I have been working on the Rye and Old Fashionedeses, but winter looms, thus the the rye/bourbon must go back in the hole and the scotch comes back out.

Discovered Bruichladdich as one of the single malts I picked up for my wedding reception, it was the single drink I had time for that evening and I haven't looked back since. The stuff is delicious, luckily I know someone importing a couple of casks in a decade or two.

scotch is good.. but smirnoff north is my poison

smirnoff north is my poison

That's a remarkably apt description.

Well, based on several recommendations here, I picked up a 15 year old 'Laddie...

It's nice!

Wait.

That didn't come out right.

Um.

A bottle of 15 year old Bruichladdich, that's what I meant.

I also picked up another bottle of something, for ... later... and a bottle of Calvados - cause I'd run out.

Ruin my liver more, get me started with a good Calvados.

And dammit if my local large store only had the 'weird' 'laddies. You know, the ones where there isn't even an advertised name. Is ignorance = legality? I got the 'rocks' which I thought might not be for ice, and it tastes fine without, mind you.