My dad drinks Scotch, so I drink Scotch.

Odds are, you have a similar tale. Scotch, single malt, bourbon — our dads seems to be whiskey guys, and there’s something tough and sophisticated about that.

And that means I drink whiskey too. Where do we begin? Well Charlie Whitfield, a brand ambassador for The Macallan offers a few tips on whiskey drinking and whiskey etiquette that perhaps will make you outshine your father in whiskey appreciation … one day.

BLAST: What are some of the common whiskey terms? What do phrases like “single malt” and “cask strength” mean?

CHARLIE WHITFIELD: Cask Strength – for this style of Scotch the whiskey comes straight from the cask and has no water added to it. Normally water is added to bring it down to bottling strength, usually to around 40-43 percent alcohol by volume. In the case of The Macallan Cask Strength, it is bottled at original cask strength, 59 percent ABV, without chill filtration or the addition of water. This delivers an exceptionally rich Macallan, wonderfully rich in color with dried fruits, spice and chocolate orange, best enjoyed with a splash of water to release the complex and sumptuous flavors.

Blended Scotch (like The Famous Grouse) which makes up around 90 percent of the Scotch whiskey industry, is a mix of different types of grain, corn, and single malt whiskeys and can come from any number of distilleries (anywhere from two to sometimes 50). A single malt making up around 9 percent of total Scotch production, can only come from one geographical location (one distillery) and can only be made using malted barley, water and yeast.

Vatted Malt is a blend of two or more single malt whiskeys.

Cask Maturation — Over 60 percent of all the aroma and flavor in Scotch comes from the interaction between the oak casks and the spirit during the maturation process. Therefore it is vital to use oak casks of the very best quality. The Macallan currently invests around $20 million dollars into our oak casks each year, hand crafting and picking each and every one.

BLAST: What kind of glass should one drink Scotch in?

CW: Whatever drinking vessel you can get your hands on! Whiskey is a drink to be savored, time spent enjoying the flavors on the nose are equally important as those on the palate. It is down to personal preference, though I would recommend a glass that tapers towards the mouth, the result being that it captures the delicious and varied aromas in your Scotch. They say that there are around 150 different flavor compounds in a single malt. The Glencairn style glass would be a good example to start with.

BLAST: What’s the difference between Scotch and other whiskeys?

CW: In order to be called a Scotch, the whiskey must be made in Scotland and matured in oak casks for at least three years. Whiskey is also made in other countries such as America, Canada, Ireland and Japan.

BLAST: What is a good intro-scotch for a young person to get started with?

CW: I would recommend a lighter style Scotch with more fruity and floral flavors. This style is much more accessible to someone new to Scotch and not too overpowering and rich on the palate. The Macallan Fine Oak range fits this style profile perfectly. The Macallan Fine Oak 15 is currently my wife’s favorite.

BLAST: How should a person drink Scotch? Ice or no ice?

CW: At the end of the day it is your Scotch, you should drink it however you enjoy it! I would suggest trying it neat to start with, so you can enjoy it in its truest form. Adding a couple of drops of water actually opens up the bouquet of the Scotch and releases the full aroma profile. Adding ice slightly numbs the aromas and flavors but is a refreshing alternative. The Macallan Ice Ball machine creates perfect spheres of ice, which due to less surface area, melt much more slowly, chilling your Scotch to perfection without turning it into a diluted mess!

BLAST: Why Macallan?

The unrivaled quality and consistency of the brand, combined with the unique history and heritage of the distillery. Just as important to me are the people who represent The Macallan and the “family” approach I’ve already noticed to the way we do business.

My first memories of Scotch whisky are more for it’s medicinal purposes, helping me to sleep, whilst at anchor during particularly stormy nights when sailing off the West coast of Scotland. It has now become my drink of choice.

Unofficially I’ve been associated with The Macallan since I was two years old! My granny entered me into a raffle and I won first prize, two cases of The Macallan 10 Year Old. My father drank one case but gave me the remaining case when I reached legal drinking age! The Macallan also played a part in my proposal to my American wife last year, in the snowy Highlands of Scotland, but that’s another story!

I’m the Scotch guy at Blast. As editor, I don’t part with any of the whiskey samples that come into the newsroom.

And all of a sudden, a rare whiskey with the most complex taste ever comes around.

The Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 3 is a $250 whiskey. I don’t expect all of you (nor I) to go around buying it up, if we can ever find it. But it’s a singularly good whiskey that has a vanilla start and a very complex finish with a bite and very strong oak taste.

“We’re fortunate to have some very old and very rare whiskey maturing at The Balvenie Distillery,” said Balvenie malt master David Stewart. “We’ve identified what we believe to be a fantastic range of liquids that will complement one another completely. The result is a marriage where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The tun is hand-filled and it takes some doing. The tun has a capacity of two thousand liters so filling it is pretty thirsty work I assure you, but a fantastic and rewarding process none the less. As with everything we do at the distillery, it’s very hands-on but it makes the end result all the more worthwhile.”

You’ll hear all kinds of pairing suggestions, but let me save you the time: filet mignon. If you’re paying this much for Scotch, go buy a $50 dry aged filet and broil it. Pour some butter over before you broil it. Once it’s cooked, pour warm cognac over it and light the cognac on fire. Then drink this Scotch with that buttery, boozed steak filet. I think death row inmates order this.

The Tun 1401 comes from a range of casks/barrels including Hogsheads, Sherry butts, and American oak barrels that date many years apart. The contents are placed in the distillery’s Tun 1401, a large marrying vessel that lets them settle before the bottling process.

The whiskey is 50.3 percent alcohol by volume. Drink it neat or with a cold element like the Skybar Chill Cubes from my friends over there. at Skybar. These solid metal cubes get cold in the freezer but don’t melt and dilute this amazing liquor with water.

A Mary Pickford, sans cherry

January 16 1920 was a dark day for America that had little to do with the winter blues. The teetotalers had their way and for nearly fourteen years the Volstead Act and the 18th Amendment ensured that the church had enough wine but that local bartenders were stripped of their licenses and livelihoods. It was still possible to possess alcohol for personal consumption but distribution meant jail time. Thus, the illegal speakeasies with their live music, smoky rooms and password intrigue were born.

HBO’s new blood-bath drama, “Boardwalk Empire,” and its portrayal of Prohibition-era Atlantic City overrun by the mob-run liquor racket has inspired a reawakening of the 1920s image. From fashion to alcohol (it must have something to do with all the rum-running), the television show has influenced the revolution of classics becoming new again.

What better to do with your cronies during the latest episode, while you all don your cloister hats and ragtime suits, than to mix up some Prohibition-style cocktails? Forget the single shots of cheap whiskey in dimly lit bars. These are the subtle drinks that defined a decade. Sip them slowly, that giggle water liable to burn your gullet on the way down.

French 75

This bathtub-gin cocktail did not go on to be the official drink of the generation like the Sidecar or the Gin Swizzle (where the term “swizzle sticks” comes from). It was named after the World War I monolith canon used to combat trench warfare. Be careful with that first bubbly sip, it could hit you in the face with all the grace of the American artillery.

Shake well with cracked ice:
1 1/2 oz London Dry Gin
1/2 oz Fresh-squeezed Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
Strain into highball glass full of cracked ice and top off with chilled champagne.

Sidecar (Boston)

This Boston version of the original Sidecar, created by Sam “Suck it” Treadway, is a spinoff of the most popular drink of the Prohibition era. There are currently at least 14 different Sidecar recipes employing the use of various liquors but always with similar flavor profiles. Unlike the Treadway original, Boston’s drink deviates from the traditional Cognac and orange liqueur allowing for deeper flavors with a punchy burst of citrus.

Mix in a cocktail shaker with ice:
1 oz Light Rum
1/2 oz Brandy
1/2 oz Triple Sec
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Strain into a chilled, sugar-rimmed cocktail glass

Mary Pickford

“America’s Sweetheart” and “the girl with the curls” were just two of the ways Mary Pickford was portrayed during the silent film era of the early 1900’s. Although this drink is sometimes misappropriated as a 1940’s creation, it’s actually from 1920 at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana. This homage is a fruity drink that mixes all the sweetness of pomegranate syrup and the subtlety of light rum.

Stir well with cracked ice:
1 1/2 oz White Rum
1 oz Unsweetened Pineapple Juice
1/2 teaspoon Grenadine
Strain into chilled cocktail glass and drop in a maraschino cherry.

Ward 8
This will put some hair on your chest. Although this cocktail originated in 1898, its popularity peaked during the Prohibition. Don’t be fooled by its milky exterior. Just because it looks like a fruit smoothie does not mean it is good for your digestion. If you’re blood isn’t built for whiskey you might want something a little more forgiving but, with all of the effort put into sweetening down the heavier oak and molasses notes this drink is usually friendly to beginners.

Mix:

2 oz Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
Dash of Grenadine
Orange Slice for garnish
Maraschino Cherry for garnish

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Coffee Cocktail

Your mother probably told you not to eat raw eggs as a child—but she also said no dessert before dinner, pfft! Some of the more straightforward cocktails rely on pure alcohol content while this drink uses the flavors of each alcohol to play off of each other with the egg binder to produce a heady coffee-like drink. Although I wouldn’t usually recommend a spiked breakfast drink this one would go well with some waffles and whipped cream.

dash of Bitters (optional)
1 Whole Egg
1 tsp Simple Syrup
1 1/2 oz Brandy
1 1/2 oz Port

Whisk egg with other ingredients and shake until frothy. Strain and serve. (Bartenders make sure to wash your shaker thoroughly after this one. The vegans of the world will not be pleased with egg in their drinks!

Blast does not endorse eating raw or undercooked food.

Lucky for all you sophisticated Scotch Whisky drinkers out there, the company behind the world’s most handcrafted Single Malt, The Balvenie, has released two new creations: the Caribbean Cask, aged 14 years, and the limited edition Peated Cask, aged 17 years. The Peated Cask, made from just a single batch, is available at select locations for a limited time — once it’s gone, it’s gone!

The much-anticipated Peated Cask Single Malt is complex, rich, spicy, and smoky to both the nose and the palate. The nose also picks up an aroma of violet, lavender, honey, vanilla, and oak. Its taste is prominently of smoke, which then reveals a blend of oak, honey, and vanilla. The spices of cinnamon and nutmeg develop with time. Its finish is sweet and spicy, with a hint of smoke.

The Caribbean Cask was aged in traditional oak casks for 14 years and was then transferred to rum casks, adding notes of toffee and fruit to the smooth, honeyed character that’s inherent in The Balvenie Single Malts. Its taste is rounded with vanilla and sweet oak, and a fruity character develops in time. Its finish is soft and lingering.

The award-winning Balvenie Distillery, located in Speyside in the Scottish Highlands, is a family-run business that has been making quality spirits for five generations. The company prides itself on — and has been applauded for — the fact that it grows its own barley and malts in its own traditional floor maltings. The company has coopers who tend to the casks, and coppersmiths who maintain the stills.

Andrew Weir, The Balvenie’s brand ambassador for the Eastern U.S., says that the company is “not just about the bottom line; we’re also about investing in the future.”

Especially with the holidays just around the corner, Weir hopes that The Balvenie drinkers embrace and explore the many flavors and aromas that Scotch can bring to a meal.

“People don’t think about Scotch Whisky when it comes to food,” he says. “Instead, they tend to think about wine. But Scotch can go with so many types of food. Chefs have realized that there’s more flavor variety with Scotch than there is with wine.”

When pairing food with Scotch, says Weir, “it’s important to decide if you want to bring out the flavors of Scotch or complement the flavors of the food. For example, spicy food will make the palate less able to taste Scotch’s flavors. But pairing Scotch with food really is a feast for the senses.”

The limited edition 17-year-old Balvenie Peated Cask has a recommended retail price of $129.99.

The 14-year-old Balvenie Caribbean Cask has a recommended retail price of $59.99

Wild Turkey goes deep into its roots with this one. “Our jockey is no break maiden, or in non horseracing vernacular, a newbie,” says Lisa Cifuentes, spokeswoman for the distillery. “With over 54 years in the industry, he’s the most seasoned veteran in the race. And he’s not about to slow down.”

Jimmy Russell, master distiller at Wild Turkey shares a recipe for his perfect mint julep — using Wild Turkey 101, of course.

“The julep has been the classic beverage of the Kentucky Derby for nearly a century and made with any other bourbon leaves much to be desired,” Cifuentes said. “The higher proof of Wild Turkey 101 produces a richer, deeper and fuller taste, making it a bigger, better flavored mint julep.”

Here’s how it goes:

The 54 Julep
2.5 oz. Wild Turkey 101
3 sprigs of mint (six to eight mature-sized leaves)
1.5 teaspoons brown sugar
Half-cup crushed ice
In a traditional silver julep cup or double-old fashioned glass, mull two sprigs of mint with the brown sugar and one ounce of Wild Turkey 101 for a few minutes, crushing the mint leaves with a spoon. Add the crushed ice, the rest of the bourbon, and garnish with sprig of mint.

And they’re off!