“I love scotch. Scotch, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly. Mhm, mhm, mhm.” Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) so eloquently puts it. If you’re an avid scotch drinker then you share Mr. Burgundy’s ode to scotch and I am quite sure you’ve said it yourself. It does feel good to drink. It’s a mustache growing, chest hair making, and deep voice creating a glass of awesomeness. Scotch is one that many say they like to enjoy but few can really handle. When I say few can really handle it, I mean few can actually understand, truly appreciate, and enjoy the uniqueness that is Scotland’s drinking water (not really). As pretentious as that sounds there is some truth to that. If the Scotts knew you were adding coke, soda water, or anything other than a single drop of water to their fine creations they’d send Ron Swanson over to smash a canoe over your head. For those of you that know Ron Swanson, you’d know that after smashing the canoe over thine noggin he’d then pour you a glass of Lagavulin and show you how to enjoy it, properly. It doesn’t take a genius to decipher that Scotch comes from Scotland and for those just now realizing this, I am sorry but yes, yes it does. Scotch whisky is to Scotland is like wine is to France, it has been made by master distillers the same way for generations upon generations; man do they know what they are doing. Unlike American, Canadian, and other whiskies around the world that can use multiple different grains to make different styles of whisky, scotch is limited to only barley. Scotch has made for some legends of whisky, master distillers that provide some of the best craftsmanship in the world. I have never had the privilege to walk in and tour one of the cellars of these legendary distilleries such as Macallan, Lagavulin, Glenfiddich, or Glenmorangie. And these four distilleries are just a fraction of over a thousand different distilleries throughout Scotland, each of which provides a unique perspective, experience, and story into their scotch.

(more…)