Chiff and Fipple Forums

benhall.1 wrote: I have found it quoted in a book by Gavid D. Smith called "A-Z of Whisky". Now, I don't know who he is ... He says, "There is an old Scots proverb which declares that there is no such thing as bad whisky, they all make you drunk."

But previously I hadn't heard the phrase either, and it doesn't seem to me to make much sense.

It doesn't make sense to me either, because if the whisky is bad I can't drink it. Therefore it wouldn't make me drunk. There's definitely some whisky out there which I can't swallow (more than one sip of), or so I found back when I still drank some whisky.
In other words, that proverb (real or not) gets it the wrong way around.

Nanohedron wrote:
....considering he's cracking wise about a people known to hold whisky as high art, whose contributions to it are his bread and butter, and in whose country he resides as well. All in good fun no doubt, but just sayin', Gavin ol' buddy...

Ben, are you in possession of the book? I wonder what the proverb's greater context was. If Smith quoted it in order to disagree with or disprove its spirit as a supposedly Scottish artifact, that would make sense.

You can find the book on Google-books (though I suppose I've must have read the paper copy at some point), and the proverb - real or not - is quoted to impress on the reader that Whisky is an intoxicating beverage, whether advertising and "whisky culture" wants to admit it or not.

Nanohedron, you have a very high opinion of the Scottish people, or at least their attitude to whisky. But whereas I don't know where Johnny Walker Red Label (shudder...) comes from, I am sure that Dewar's White Label (slight shudder) is bottled in Scotland (a taste at the bottling plant only a few days after visiting Orney's Distillery - and tasting one of theirs - taught me more about the difference between whisky categories than all the books). Quite obviously they see a market for cheap whiskys and have no qualms about producing for it.

At the very least there's mixing: There's no point in using a single malt for whisk(e)y cola! (The only requirement is that the whisk(e)y is not too sweet on its own - the Canadian we had didn't work.)

Kade1301 quote: At the very least there's mixing: There's no point in using a single malt for whisk(e)y cola! (The only requirement is that the whisk(e)y is not too sweet on its own - the Canadian we had didn't work.)

Canadian is a whole 'nother story. It is a blend, often using what are called 'wines' and 'sherries' for flavoring effects. Not really what we think of as wines and sherries, but still having residual sugars to aid in 'smoothing' the taste.
As an aside: I attended school with the heir to the MacNaughton family. They had already sold up the distillery and brand name at that point. They had moved entirely into other endeavors, like milling and Hawaiian sugar, since these staples completely dominated the price of their whisky.

Bob

Kade1301 wrote:Nanohedron, you have a very high opinion of the Scottish people, or at least their attitude to whisky. But whereas I don't know where Johnny Walker Red Label (shudder...) comes from, I am sure that Dewar's White Label (slight shudder) is bottled in Scotland (a taste at the bottling plant only a few days after visiting Orney's Distillery - and tasting one of theirs - taught me more about the difference between whisky categories than all the books). Quite obviously they see a market for cheap whiskys and have no qualms about producing for it.

Good point. Ah, well - there's evil everywhere.

By the way: If I do have any high opinion of the Scots, it comes to a screeching halt at such cultural artifacts as the Munchy Box and deep-fried pizza. All things in balance.

an seanduine wrote:...
Canadian is a whole 'nother story. It is a blend, often using what are called 'wines' and 'sherries' for flavoring effects. Not really what we think of as wines and sherries, but still having residual sugars to aid in 'smoothing' the taste.
....

Thanks for the info, the residual sugars would explain why the mixture with coke became too cloyingly sweet (we stuck with Jack Daniels). On their own I've found the Canadians I've tried perfectly drinkable...

By the way, does anybody in the U.S. know Elijah Craig bourbon, or is it a French product/imitation/fraud along the lines of Clan Campbell scotch?

Kade1301 wrote:By the way, does anybody in the U.S. know Elijah Craig bourbon, or is it a French product/imitation/fraud along the lines of Clan Campbell scotch?

Barring actual Gallic counterfeiture (would they really do that?), it's a legitimate Kentucky bourbon to be sure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah_Craig_(bourbon)

Thanks! No, I don't think they'd actually counterfeit the bottles, there's probably not enough money in whisky to make it worth their while (in France alcohol in general is very reasonably priced - Scotch is much cheaper here than in the UK because of lower taxes).

I'm sad to hear that they changed the blend in 2016 - it's quite possible that the whiskey I remember fondly was from before that. Guess I'll have to buy another bottle....

In France the Appellation d'Origine Controlée (AOC) for wines and associated beverages have significant penalties. Granted, bourbon is not wine, it is a 'contolled appellation'. I suspect there will very little inclination for anyone of any stature in France to counterfeit something like bourbon. Granted there are always people on the margins who will counterfeit most anything, but bourbons are 'bottled under bond' and fakery should be easy to spot. Changes in blends, on the other hand are another matter altogether.

bob

As a small update...

After talking with Kade, I've been trying out Bavarian beers more aggressively. I find that I do enjoy them a fair bit. I have also come to appreciate Starkbierzeit even more for as it turns out, I recently became allergic to Spring, Summer, and Fall; at least I still have Winter and, the fifth season, Starkbierzeit to look forward to. (For reference, I am allergic to the trees and grass in Spring, the grasses and hays in Summer, and the grasses and weeds in Fall. I get severe headaches, labored breathing, and brain fog)

Dogfish Head is local to here (Mid-Atlantic). I think it's spread to other parts of the country now. They do a lot of interesting stuff. 2-3 years ago they had one called "Hellhound on my Ale" in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Robert Johnson's birth. I never scored any -- went to the brewpub across the street and they were out, and all the local packies were out.

The other day I saw a sixpack of Bitches' Brew. The yoke has a beautiful depiction of the album cover. Presumably a 50th anniversary of the album. It's about $20 for the sixpack, though -- the packie owner said that much of that is just the licensing of the copyrighted image of the album cover. My brother, another beer fan, is visiting soon, so I may just cough up the exorbitant cost. I'm still on the fence. He's not a Miles Davis fan, so it might not register with him.

chas wrote:Dogfish Head is local to here (Mid-Atlantic). I think it's spread to other parts of the country now. They do a lot of interesting stuff. 2-3 years ago they had one called "Hellhound on my Ale" in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Robert Johnson's birth. I never scored any -- went to the brewpub across the street and they were out, and all the local packies were out.

The other day I saw a sixpack of Bitches' Brew. The yoke has a beautiful depiction of the album cover. Presumably a 50th anniversary of the album. It's about $20 for the sixpack, though -- the packie owner said that much of that is just the licensing of the copyrighted image of the album cover. My brother, another beer fan, is visiting soon, so I may just cough up the exorbitant cost. I'm still on the fence. He's not a Miles Davis fan, so it might not register with him.

I've seen Dogfish Head, they seem to have a wide variety. I think we had tried their Midas Touch. As for the Bitches' Brew, I missed the album reference too, but that may be because I am too young.

I did cough up the cost. We opened a couple bottles yesterday -- it's awesome. It's an oaked imperial stout. I'm not normally a fan of high-alcohol beers, but this is not too sweet, not too dry, doesn't have an overwhelming alcohol flavor, and isn't rife with burnt grain flavor.