Scotch Drinks Page

Scotch

Ah, bonnie Scotland--where men in skirts spend hours whacking little dimpled balls with metal or graphite sticks. Where ponies no bigger than a dog roam the moors and the celebrated Loch Ness monster has mystified many around the world. But ask any Scotsman what his native land is most renowned for and you'll hear a story about a spirit as old as its originating braes and burns-- Scotch whisky.

Produced only in Scotland, Scotch whiskies fall into two primary categories: single malt and blended. While blended Scotches are the most familiar and have long been popular in the United States, single malts have been gaining aficionados rapidly in recet years.

Single malt Scotches are tbe product of more than 100 distilleries, each of which produces its own distinctive spirit. Though each distillery uses malted barley for the base for its Scotch, variants in the water, peat, atmospheric characteristics, shape of the pot-still, and the aging casks are factors in determining the uniqueness of the resulting spirit. Most single malts are aged at least 8 years, some considerably longer. Generally, characteristics of single malts are best described by those of the region in which they are produced.

Highland malts are smokey and smooth, the dryness from the peat balanced by the sweetness of the barley malt. Island malts are influenced by their proximity to the salt-laden atmosphere of the Atlantic, producing a whisky with a powerful peatiness in both the bouquet and taste. Islay malts are distinguished by peat, which, affected by the sea atmosphere, lends its quality to the local water, which runs off the peat moor, and the malted barley, which is dried by burning peat. Lowland malts, the mildest of all, lack the smokey, pungent taste of peat but have many subtle flavors of barley malt. Speyside malts are produced by distilleries on the banks of the river Spey, where pure, soft water from the granite mountains runs over massive peat bogs imparting a firm-bodied taste with a hint of malt sweetness and a smokey character. Western highland malts, produced where the highlands come down to the sea, are a balance between pungent Island malts and smoth Highland Malts.

The six Classic Malts cover all the main regions, providing a unique journey of discovery into the world of single malts, presented in a minature pack. Single malts are best when cut with a dash of cool water and savored in a brandy snifter.

Blended Scotch whiskies derive their individual personalities from the single malts comprising them. All Scotch blends contain malt whisky and grain whisky, similar to American neutral grain spirits. Anywhere from 20 to as many as 40 different whiskies may be part of a blend. The age of the blend refers to the age of the youngest whisky included. All blended Scotch imported into the U.S. is at least 4 years old and is usually the standard 80 proof.

Blended Scotch traces its root to the merchants who perfected the art of blending, creating their own brands, and set out to market their product to the world. One of the founding fathers of the Scotch whisky industry, John Dewar, had established a reputation for the quality of his blends by the late 1840s. He was also one of the first to introduce another innovation--selling his whisky in labeled bottles, which had both his name and personal guarantee. Today, Dewar's White Label is sold in more than 140 countries and has been the number 1 blended Scotch in the U.S. for more than a decade.

Johnny Walker Red Label, the world's best-selling Scotch whisky, and Johnny Walker Black Label, the world's leading 12 year-old deluxe Scotch, are named after John Walker, a retailer who created exclusive brands for his valued customers. Both brands are blends of more than 40 whiskies, with Cardhu, a superior Highland malt, at their heart.

The blended Scotch with perhaps the most unusual package is Dimple. In 1893 George Ogilvy Haig conceived the idea of bottling Haig Scotch Whisky in a unique, 3-sided, pinched decanter with a hollow or dimple in each of its sides. Such was the eye-catching appeal of the bottle that the name Dimple was subsequently adopted for Haig's blend. The first bottle ever to be patented in the U.S., it eventually became the brand's legal trademark.

Scoresby Scotch, introduced in 1964 specifically for the preferred American taste profile, is lighter but has a higher percentage of malt, delivering a full malt flavor. Originally introduced in California, Scoresby has grown in popularity to become the best-selling Scotch in the western U.S. and ranks 4th among Scotches in the entire country.

Affinity Cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Beadlestone Cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Beals Cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Blood-and-Sand Cocktail

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Bobby Burns Cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add a twist of lemon peel.

Cameron's Kick Cocktail

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Flying Scotchman

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Godfather

Serve in old-fashioned glass over ice. (Bourbon may be substituted for the Scotch).

Heather Blush

Pour scotch and liqueur into champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a strawberry.

Highland Cooler

Into collins glass put sugar and 2 oz club soda. Stir, then add ice cubes and scotch. Fill with club soda or ginger ale and stir. Dangle a spiral of lemon and/or orange peel over rim of glass.

Highland Fling Cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Serve with an olive.

Hole-in-One

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Hot Mon Cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Twist a lemon peel and drop in glass.

Loch Lomond

Shake all ingredients wth ice and strain into hurricane or parfait glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a slice of star fruit.

Mamie Gilroy

Combine in collins glass filled with ice. Stir.

Miami Beach Cocktail

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Modern Cocktail

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Serve with a cherry.

Rob Roy

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Rusty Nail

Serve in old-fashioned glass with ice cubes. Float Drambuie on top.

Scotch Bishop Cocktail

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add a twist of lemon peel.

Scotch Bounty

Shake with ice and pour into hurricane or parfait glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry. Serve with a straw.

Scotch Cobbler

Pour ingredients over ice in old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a slice of orange and a mint sprig.

Scotch Cooler

Pour into highball glass over ice cubes. Fill with club soda and stir.

Scotch Highball

Put Scotch into highball glass with ice cubes and fill with ginger ale or club soda. Add a twist of lemon peel and stir.

Scotch Holiday Sour

Shake with ice and strain into old-fashioned glass over ice cubes. Add a slice of lemon.

Scotch Milk Punch

Shake with ice and strain into collins glass. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Scotch Mist

Pack old-fashioned glass with crushed ice. Pour in scotch, add a twist of lemon peel. Serve with a short straw.

Scotch Old-Fashioned

In old-fashioned glass, muddle sugar cube, water, and bitters. Add Scotch and stir. Add a twist of lemon peel and ice cubes. Decorate with slices of orange and lemon, and a cherry.

Scotch Rickey

Pour into highball glass over ice and fill with club soda. Add a twist of lime and stir.

Scotch on the Rocks

Pour Scotch into old-fashioned glass 1/2 filled with ice.

Scotch Royale

Place sugar cube in champagne flute. Add scotch and bitters, fill with champagne.

Scotch Sour

Shake with ice and strain into sour glass. Decorate with a 1/2 slice of lemon and a cherry.

Scotch Stinger

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

The Shoot

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Silent Third

Shake well with cracked ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Stone Fence

Fill highball glass with ice cubes. Add scotch and bitters and fill with club soda or cider. Stir.

Thistle Cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Walters

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Woodward Cocktail

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Last modified: Wed Apr 20 1995