Tis the season of obscenely priced beverages at our favourite retailer, the LCBO.
Yesterday, I was in the liquor store shopping for wine, and a lovely sales representative asked if I wanted a sample of single malt scotch as part of Whiskey Month. I immediately said yes, abiding by the Swinton golden rule: never turn down free stuff, especially alcohol or food.
It was purely medicinal of course. I was just getting over the worst cold I've had in over a year. There's nothing like a good shot of whiskey to clear the head and chest.
They were serving two options: an Irish whiskey called Roe & Company at the bargain price of $55 a bottle and a $109 bottle of Lagavulin 8 Year Old Single Malt Scotch. I naturally went for the $109 bottle.
It was warm, smooth and surprising, with a strong campfire taste, smoky, infused with hints of nut and oak like no other whiskey I've tasted before.
My love of Irish whiskey goes back to my twenties when Dave and I went to Ireland for a friend's wedding. Just about every night, after we left the bars, we'd end up in someone's kitchen until three in the morning with a bottle of Bushmills on the table.
I'm always surprised how smooth a straight shot of whiskey is and the wonderful warm feeling you get as it swirls around your nose, throat and chest. It's like drinking a warm blanket.
But even though I'm Scottish, I have to confess I've always been partial to Irish whiskey and now I know why. I learned as I was taste testing that while both spirits are distilled liquors, Scotch is distilled twice while Irish whiskey is distilled three times. This extra distillation gives it a smoother finish and some say make it the best in the world.
Johnny Carson once said, "Happiness is having a rare steak, a bottle of whiskey, and a dog to eat the rare steak."
This week's #HappyAct is to enjoy a wee dram of your favourite scotch or whiskey. If you buy a bottle at the LCBO before November 8 and are an Aeroplan member, you can be entered in a contest to win a round-trip ticket for two to anywhere Air Canada flies.
While you're there, check out the Kurayoshi 18 Year Old Malt Whiskey, named Japanese Whiskey of the Year for a mere $654 a bottle or an $845 bottle of Macallan Sherry Oak Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskey.
Happy imbibing!
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