Macallan is my favorite scotch, but above the 12yr mark, it's gotten so expensive that I won't buy it any more. If I want 18yr that's very close to Macallan 18, I go with Glenlivet 18. It's half (or less) of the going rate for the Macallan 18, and every bit as good.
For my birthday present to myself awhile ago, and for the same price as the Macallan 18, I got a bottle of the Glenlivet 25, which absolutely blows the doors off of the Macallan 18. It's divine
I’ve been enjoying it now and then for a couple of years now, usually when good friends visit I figure I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of enjoying it.
For a major birthday someone donated a bottle of super special whisky. I had been savouring that for years. My tosser of a son thought I’ll have that and demolished it in a weekend. Bastard. He ain’t my son.
Kicking off the evening with a Clementine Mule… Jim Beam Ginger Beer Sliced clementine half squeezed in the glass Big ice lump cheers!!!
I opted for a classic Manhattan this evening. You can see the primary ingredients to which I added one Luxardo cherry and a lemon twist. Mr. Sandi shared an article on Manhattans in Esquire Magazine several months ago and their recipe added the twist to the traditional maraschino cherry garnish. I tried it and liked it enough to add it to my Manhattans. Most of the time I serve my Manhattans up in a martini glass which seems to be the traditional way but sometimes I like to have them on the rocks. Or preferably on the rock--singular--with the rock being a large ice ball that melts much more slowly than the ice cubes made by our freezer.
My twist on a Rusty Nail tonight: * 2oz/60ml blended scotch * 0.75oz/22ml(ish) drambuie * 0.25oz/7ml(ish) fresh lemon juice (this provides much-needed balance) * stirred, with big ice block
Ahh, a man after my "measurement" heart, @Aaron Brown. This looks delicious. I may make me one of these babies tonight. But I don't have any blended scotch in the cupboard. How about substituting single malt?
I think a single malt would do nicely, but I’d personally steer away from the Islay and toward the highland or speyside varieties
Thanks for the response and suggestion, Aaron. There's not an Islay to be had in our house. I'm not a big fan of the peaty types and neither is Mr. Sandi. Makes sense to not use that in something like a Rusty Nail as--to my tastes anyway--the peatiness would overpower the other ingredients.
Yep, my thoughts exactly I do have a bottle of Ardbeg in the house, but I only use that in tiny amounts, as a float atop a penicillin cocktail. Other than for that one specific use, I'm not a fan of super peaty/smoky scotch. At all.
