Scotch. A Second Chance

Lets see, where do I begin? I first tried my Mother’s favorite drink, scotch and water. Chivas Regal was her brand. I remember this beautiful caramel and honey color being poured over ice and water. Watching the liquids swirl together was the start to a night of conversations and laughs during family gatherings. The drink looked so sophisticated and jolly. I asked if I could try a sip. She slid the glass over and said, “Just one.” Yep, that was all I needed to ask my inner self, “Why do people drink this?” She asked if I liked it, I promptly said, “No”. I’m sure she knew that answer by the look of disgust on my face. It tasted like dirty water. I mean this is my younger self and things were different in the late 70’s and I was after all, a connoisseur of garden hose water. The blast of rubber tasting hot water coming out of your neighbor’s water hose tasted much better than cold scotch and water.

Now, fast forward about 40 years and my palate has changed quite a bit. I started dabbling in American Whiskey and Bourbons over the last, give or take, 10 years and I feel the excitement like I did some 20 years ago when I started working in the cheese industry. I can’t get enough information or tastings. I thought, I really need to give scotch another shot. (no pun intended).

So I picked up a bottle of Glenlivet 12 year single malt, double oak after hearing about it at work. Some of our stores were picking it up as a featured item and as we went through the tasting points, it sounded like something I wanted to try.

At first, on the nose it is bright almost tropical even sweet, like pineapple upside down cake. Then comes the vanilla. My first sip was definitely not what I remembered. Warm, grassy and musty like the first breeze of fall that floats into your lungs, refreshing but knowing there is a secret being kept.

So, what is the secret? Have I just been ignoring the signals of this libation because of my preteen palate? Or is it because I thought Scotch was for “old” people?

The secret continues to develop and evolve, much like our palates. Although, I can’t help but think the garden hose water had something to do with it…

¡SALUD!

¡PROVECHO!