Howe Girls Drink Scotch - Marmie and JJ, that is!

So this Howe girl has decided to do stuff in 2012!  All kinds of stuff, since I was a dismal failure with the 2011 cooking goal.  Let's kick this off by celebrating the spirits of Scotland.

This weekend, JJ and I attended a single malt scotch tasting at E-ville Spirits.  What a fun and educational experience!  There were about 25 in attendance - a bit squished, so we made friends fast!  I believe there were only 5 women out of the bunch.  I have the feeling that this minority will be changing as women continue to increase their appreciation for the brown spirits.  Bust Magazine just had a great article about this in the Dec/Jan issue called "Raising the Bar".

It was enhanced by the incredible knowledge of Jean from Pernod Ricard.  As a former "whiskey ambassador", she brought an incredible amount of knowledge to the tasting in addition to this:

Glenlivet 18, Aberlour 18, Glenlivet 21, Glenlivet 16 nadurra, Longmorn 16, Bowmore 18

JJ is an experience scotch drinker and I am becoming a fan of the "gold watch" myself.  Jean has taught me to add just enough water to a neat whisky to find my own sweet spot.  This varied, for me, from a drop to a splash to a full glunk of water, depending on the specific scotch.

So what did I come home with? 

The absolute winner of the tasting!  A 21 year old Glenlivet that is incredibly yummy with just the slightest addition of pure spring water.  Do you know that the 21 year old designation means that the very youngest of the whisky in this bottle is 21, but there can be much older?  Single malts are really blends of various years to maintain the specific taste.

It was a great experience that I would highly recommend.

Come on now - step away from your Sex in the City fruit drink and boldly order a Glenlivet neat with water on the side the next time you sidle up to a bar!

love,

marmie