Some feel it is trivial to consume colorless, tasteless spirits that burn through your soul but not your mind. If you are going to lose a piece of your life-compass tonight, do it to with a worthy opponent.
How about a spirit with a soul of its own?
Whiskey is an umbrella term, it embodies bourbon, scotch, Irish, Canadian and lately even Japanese malts. Everything you need to know about life is within that glass. Whiskey is worked through, thought through, felt through by a restless beverage artist. The rest of them are just cheap suspects that leave you with a headache. That is why the whisky’s sweet nickname is Bourbon.
Bourbon is the Tom Hanks of the whiskey world, sweet and approachable, like Forest Gump or that guy from Sleepless in Seattle. Sweet due to the fifty one percent distilled corn compared to solo barley in European whiskeys. Scotch is the Jack Nicholson, harsh, darkly comic portrait of the meaning of being. And of course, we all know the Irish all too well. Cheers! While the Japanese strive for perfection in everything they do, in whiskey Yamasaki is a good example.
Today, in America everybody is distilling. New distilleries are dotting the whiskey map on the east coast, even a couple in New York. Like so many independent filmmakers and artists they ignore, break or bend the rules for our, drinkers’, great delight.
Experimentation and innovation is great. Good scotch is a gift from God. Laphroaig is a favorite that has gained the admiration of every Scotsmen encountered. The best way to enjoy it is with good friends in a dimly lit mahogany lined bar like the Flatiron Lounge. This is also the right place to get a proper Manhattan. Which is, arguably, the best expression of a truly fine bourbon.
On the spiritual path to Brooklyn is one of the very best hidden gems, Dram. The bartenders at Dram can mix your whiskeys into fairytales with the right balance between European bitter and American sweet. Put your good shoes on and leave your pink shirt at home. Poetic!? Artists rejoice! Whiskey is the new vodka.
What do you think?
— Milen Vasilev
Author
