Asymmetrical Information

Excellent scotch whiskey, especially single malts, may be drunk slightly chilled (cellar temperature) or with a mere splash of equally excellent water (not previously in the Hudson or East Rivers), but never on the rocks.

For a change of pace, Bushmills Single Malt Irish Whiskey (16 year old) is "brilliant" at room temperature; or, as the Irish say: "loovly".

Most Park Avenue WASPs drink scotch of the Dewar's level of quality. We aren't into affectations like this single malt stuff. It's just whiskey. Have a glass on Friday after a tough week at Morgan Stanley, make some conversation with Mrs. WASP and the children, read Runciman or Virgil, and go to bed.

If that's not your preferred lifestyle, then obviously you aren't the sort of person Hart is talking about, and you should not be entrusted with the leadership of either Washington, Wall Street, or an Ivy League college.

Thank God we Americans had the good sense to invent bourbon. Let the Irish & Scots keep their luke warm stuff.

Megan is a Scotch snob? I'd have never guessed.

Blended scotch and single malts are different things. One can like both. (It's not unlike sometimes wanting a stout and sometimes wanting a lager.) A good blended scotch on the rocks is an excellent choice, and Dewars is a good (basic) blend.

Of course, I'll be the first to admit that it's not worth $7.50 a glass, which is what I paid for one last night in Hoboken. Then again, most single malts aren't worth what bars charge either.

Harumph!

I've developed an expensive addiction to Oban. And I like Talisker on rainy days. Just a couple rocks.

I think the perfect drink is Kettle One in Club Soda, rocks, with lemon twist.

Skyy is a good alternative to Kettle.

Famous Grouse is not a bad blend, but I vastly prefer (when drinking a blend) Bells. Unfortunately, it is not available in the States, so every time I go to Canada, I pick up a bottle. And I like what Bells is a blend of. I can't remember all the single malts are, but they include Lagavulin, Blair Athol, Caol Isla, Dalwhinnie, and so on. All United Distellers brands, and the youngest is 8 years old. After they are blended, 40% of grain alcohol is added. The result: an excellent tasting blend that has some real character and is not expensive.

(But I prefer bourbon or Tennessee Whiskey, which althogh similar, are not the same.)

Being a libertarian, my whiskey of course comes from Kentucky, not Scotland, and is unblended. Maker's Mark for day-to-day, Knob Creek for after dinner with friends. If you have a chance, though, you should certainly try Noah's Mill. I had my first taste last weekend, and was astounded. 114 proof and smooth as glass, with the lightest hint of smoke and nutmeg. Heavenly.

My whiskey of choice is Wild Turkey Rye, which I use to mix Manhattans. I prefer Armagnac for sipping neat.

Ice and sugar do NOT belong in the same glass with 80-proof alcohol. If you don't like the taste of "it" neat then your taste buds are trying to tell you something...

That said, I don't find the basic Dewar's (white label) that bad. Though, among inexpensive blended whiskeys, my personal preference would be Bushmills.

It's worth noting that Hart seems like a bit of a character in general (as are all professors):

As I came to know him, I became accustomed to his collection of paraphernalia -- the motorized wooden hand used to drum on the table when faculty meetings went on too long; the wooden pincer device, intended for pinching women you wouldn't touch. And his wide, indeed unrivaled, collection of buttons (my favorite: ``Soak the Poor'').

(From Dinesh D'Souza)

I recently bought some Dewar's White Label (because it was on sale). It was barely drinkable swill. I'm being kind there. Very funny quote from Hart but he needs to upgrade his alcohol tastes.

you know, now that we're talking about bourbon, i'm really into woodford's four grain. of course, i've also grown accustomed to that georgia moon ersatz 'shine so ymmv.

I think Oban's overrated, but I'll second Aaron's backup selection: Talisker with one or two ice cubes, given a few minutes to melt a bit before consumption.

Where's the love for Johnny Walker Red? On the rocks.

It's a blended scotch, it can take it. Slop in vermouth and plunk in a cherry, if that's your bag.

> Ice and sugar do NOT belong in the
> same glass with 80-proof alcohol.

Good thing my Wild Turkey's 101 proof, then.

Many knowledgeable and serious people will, contra, assure you that ice does belong in a glass of good whiskey, as the slow melting adds just a little water to the whiskey, which is reckoned favourable.

(Experience suggests they're not entirely wrong. They'll also insist that the ice should be made from good water, and that tap water often isn't. Experience suggests that is often absolutely correct.)

Now, about gin, what about Hendrick's?

One should be entirely ecumenical in regards to huffing hooch, and to be otherwise is to display a certain unfortunate small-mindedness. This isn't to say that quality is to be ignored, but rather that pleasure can be found down many different avenues, and the wise person pursues the exploration with decided enthusiasm.

Totally agree with Julian - Nothing wrong with an ice cube or two for Talisker. It's necessary to weaken it for some for some to enjoy. I'm less likely to drink Johnny Walker with ice because it's an excellent blend. Therefore, I guess what I'm saying is I concede that less expensive blends generally taste better cold. Not so much the cold deadening the taste buds as the cold supressing weaknesses in the blend.

Drank Chivas for twenty years. Never understood the pervasive nature of J&B. A cheap old stanby was Cutty. Glenlivet is good as is Walker.
Don't drink much anymore.

Pah! Blended scotch! It's like to peel the leather patches off one's elbows.

Tanqueray and tonic w/ splash of roses is as civilized as I get.

Bud Light, anybody?

Forgive me for a comment off-topic to the Whiskey Rebellion, but...

Hart's comments highlight the difference between Old-world and New-world conservatism. While I am as wary of populism as Hart, my first allegiance is not to my class, but to my Country and it's founding documents. I am conservative, but conservative very radical, liberal, and republican principles.

...And for brown liquor I prefer rum, actually.

"Jane Galt" apparently is not familiar with the long line of conservatives going back to the post WW II era, else she'd know who Professor Hart is. The archives over at National Review have plenty of things he's written, for example.

His lowland, Tory sensibilities have been noted before, often by the sort of highlanders who don't get published much even today in NR. He's the sort of fellow who gets along well with the few remaining high-church Anglicans, for example, but can't quite manage to figure out why the pew he's sitting is is nowadays quite empty.

Prof. Hart's choice in potables, informed as it is by Ivy League provincialism, isn't very interesting. For a start, it is totally predictable...

What is disturbing to us young WASPs is how egregiously horrible our forebears' taste in adult beverages is. Very, very few had any sort of appreciation for good liquor or good wine, but were rather devoted to consuming heroic quantities.

This generation is focused on high quality, and such appreciates single malts, vintage wines, etc.

As to what whisky... a single malt of course, Balwhenie, Lagavulin, or Oban are all excellent choices, or an Ardbeg if you're a fan of peat. 1 or 2 cubes of ice are acceptable for chill and to help expand the nose.

Hendrick's is excellent.

Forget single malts -- move onto single malt, SINGLE BARREL scotch via the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society. Heaven.

The great thing about Dewars isn't that it's all that great, it's that it's the Bud of scotch, if you order one you'll never hear back "we don't have Dewars, we have ...", which I find so annoying, so I order Bud's and Dewars, depending. At home Bushmill's is it. What my father taught me was right, the Prods do make a good whiskey, and one should be ecumenical, when doable.

I have two blended Scotches in my collection. Clan MacGregor, for use in a Rob Roy when what I'm after is the alcohol, and a 21 year old Whyte and Mackay which is a match for any single malt in my collection as far as complexity is concerned. It stands up quite nicely to a good ice cube. I had a bottle of Famous Grouse, which was for drinking while reading Butterworth Griffin.

It is a perplexing matter why anyone should wish to drink the distilled products of fodder for livestock. There is only one drink worthy of humans, and that is eau de vie, preferably a mixture of petit champagne and grande champagne. A distillation of wine, that is for adults, not these liquors of corn, rye, barley, oats, and so forth.

Sante!

hilarious comment by the prof.

along with evangelicals, clearly he is poking a little fun at himself too, in subtle manner.

Ellipsis,

Darn! You stole my comment. Prof. Hart's conservatism seems characterized by being a high-church prig.

And as to potables, Liefman's Goudenband, perhaps the best beer ever made, strikes me as ideal. You can drink it year-round and it kind of self-regulates its consumption. That said, almost any Flemmish Red will do the same.

Having been beaten to the prig-punch, Bill Dalasio wisely wrote:

And as to potables, Liefman's Goudenband, perhaps the best beer ever made, strikes me as ideal. You can drink it year-round and it kind of self-regulates its consumption. That said, almost any Flemmish Red will do the same.

Well, there's another fine label I'll be frustrated in seeking out. Although American beer/lager/ale has hugely improved since the 1970's, because of the homebrewers and microbreweries. In fact, beermaking is arguably a conservative thing to do; certain things must be done in certain ways, or it won't work, and often traditional ways work the very best. I wonder what Prof. hart would have to say about that?

ellipsis,

Actually it's Belgian. If there's any good Belgian places where you are, you can almost certainly find it there. If you have a very good beer distributor nearby, they might have it. It's pricey as hell. At one time, I'd have suggested trying Rodenbach as a starter for the style. It was almost as good and about 2/3 the price. Unfortunately, my understanding is that interbrew bought both them and stopped shipping Rodenbach to the U.S. (thereby leaving you stuck buying the more expensive stuff). But, yes, brewing, and especially the craft revolution of the last couple of decades actually captures many strains of conservative thought.

What can I say? I'm a right-wing beer geek.

If they did drink, which they don't except when no one is looking, the bible belters would probably drink beer if they could afford something better than antifreeze strained through a loaf of Wonder bread. Otherwise they suck on grape juice and really and truly believe it is wine. Justification by faith you know.

Lager louts are the foot soldiers of populism. Prof. Hart may bring his mechanical drumming fingers to faculty meetings. Lager louts bring bananas to soccer matches.

I'm with you j mct on the ecumenical grace of a Bushmill's now and then. Give the Prods some credit for a job well done. Have you not heard that the few remaining non-Irish adherents of the One True Church in Scotland can be found in the Western Isles brewing all those lovely malts?

Back in the day, if I noticed the taste I wasn't drunk enough yet...

(Don't worry guys, I've stayed on the wagon for thirty years nows.)

Hmm, I think that Talisker and Oban might also be in the Bell's blend.

For bourbons, my favorite is (was) George Dickel's 10 year old. Woodford Reserve is my regular standby, with an occasional foray into Elijah Craig 18 year old.

jimbo,

What exactly is a "lager lout"? There are a great many exceptional lagers out there, and if your complaint is against the macrobrews, most of them are just mislabled pilsners. I'll grant pilsner is a type of lager, but please don't link all lagers in with tha swill.

Middaugh, don't really drink whisky, but this is what we keep on hand - smoooooottthhhhhh.

I realize this is mostly a scotch thread, but two Hart stories. In the 80s Hart used to say, "I support Star Wars even if it doesn't work. At least it keeps money out of the hands of the poor."

For a while Hart taught a course on 18th century literature at Dartmouth, and one year a particularly addled student, assigned a term paper on Johnson, turned his in on Lyndon Johnson. Hart marked it with a single comment: "B+. Wrong Johnson."

The first is variously attested, the second probably apocryphal.

It's not always around, but my local brewery has an amazing Raspberry Eisbock. At $10 for a 6.3oz bottle, it's more for special occasions. It's also too rich for regular consumption. But it's damn good, and over 13.5% abv, though you wouldn't guess it.

BeerAdvocate had it ranked as the 6th beer in it's list of top 100 beer for all countries not to long ago, not it's down to 12th.

Another interesting drink is mead. I've found I like the Traditional Star Thistle Mead. It's made with Michigan Star Thistle Honey. It's semi-dry and has a flowery/perfumy aroma. Like Scotch and some wines, it gives a different, more pleasant buzz than most other beers and liquors.

Rex, I'll have to give the Bell's a try.

Well, for a good balanced whisky, how about Highland Park? Moderately priced, and bracingly restorative.

Y81: This first-generation Scots American hopes he has failed to grasp the humor of your remarks. I have a nephew at Morgan Stanley and read Vergil in the original. With two exception (one High Church, one Jewish), the only people I run into who can read Vergil are Irish types who went to Catholic schools. I have yet to meet a Park Avenue type (and I am on a first-name basis with some names you would recognize) who would even recognize Runciman's name. I have been drinking wine for 60 years or so, and Scots whisky (neat and preferably single malt since they started coming here, though Johnny Walker is a perfectly fine blend) for 50 years now. Dewar's and J&B are fit only for ignorant Sassenachs who can afford better. Gin even in its most expensive forms is swill for alcoholics. The consumption of that Hogarthian potion goes far in explaining the lamentable condition of Faggy Bottom, Langley, New Haven and Cambridge. Si queris rationem, circumspice.