The Scotch say, “Irish invented whiskey and the Scotch perfected it.” Of course, bourbon lovers may disagree, but the saying was created before bourbon was invented. The Scotch innovation was they malted the barley grain. While scotch doesn't have multiple mash bills, the specific barley used, malting process, and distilling variances create unique, different scotch whiskeys.

Scotch storage does not have the temperature variances in the rackhouse like bourbons. Thus, scotch whiskeys don’t batch the same recipe. Yet, different regions of Scotland have different aging characteristics. Scotch whiskeys often blend different recipes and different regions. Thus, blending is combining multiple recipes, whereas batching is the same recipe. Johnny Walker is regarded as the master blender of varied scotch recipes. At the same time, the single malt scotch whiskeys are preferred by most whiskey aficionados.

On the island of Islay, they have no wood. So, distilleries used harvested dried peat moss to fire up their stills rather than wood. The result is very smoky scotch whiskey. The island of Islay distilleries includes Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Lophaigh, Bowmore, and Lagavulin. Of those, my favorite is Lagavulin.

By contrast, the Speyside region uses wood for their distillery. This produces a non-smoky, lighter, more approachable scotch with an earthy, malty undertone. Most of the scotches with Glen in their name, like Glenlivet and Glenfiddich, hail from the Speyside region. Glenrothes 12 year is the best of the bunch to me.

The Highlands are home to two of my favorite scotches, Macallan and Oban. I try to keep both on my bar. Yet, if you win this selection, you can have all four. Additionally, should you win this offering, you and your guests are entitled to a Geek Squad whiskey tasting to include quality charcuteries of meats, cheeses, nuts, and sweets. Plus, I bring the Geek Squad handouts for the whiskey tasting and discussion.

A Tasting of My Favorite Scotch Whiskeys

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