I admit. I’m a heretic. I should be disbarred/expelled from the unofficial whisky community of the world, affective immediately. I’m having a drink of part alcohol, part mixer. Had I said it’s bourbon and Coke perhaps the unofficial judges of said community would have shown some leniency, but I’m afraid I’ll be sent straight to Hell: I’m having a Gimlet.
    It’s 6 cl of gin, 4 cl of Rose’s Lime Cordial over crushed ice, served in a tumbler. A great drink to have on a summer night as hot and humid as when I am writing this. Much better than – heresy number one – a 12 year-old Glen Elgin served neat in a tulip shaped glass. I’m surrounded by some of the greatest malts Scotland has to offer, yet I choose a clear spirit with a splash of sweet and sour mixer. This got me thinking of diversity, and how great it is. Had we lived in an Orwellian world we would only be offered “Victory Gin” or Cluny Blended Scotch to drink. Nothing else.
    Barring George W. Bush and Tyrconell, the US and Ireland have a vast selection of sparkling stars to offer, with glee. Respectively, it has a rich and mouth-filling Elijah Craig; a silky and fruity Bushmills; a honeyed and robust Wild Turkey Rare Breed; a mildly peaty Connemara. The purist in me cannot deny facts. I love bourbon and Irish as much as Scotch, irrespective of the crowd’s notion that Scotch is superior to it’s cousins (brothers). To my palate, this is both preposterous and erroneous. You simply cannot compare them.
    Without knowing better, for too long I adhered to that school of thought. Scotch is better than any whiskey produced elsewhere. Bourbon was considered good only for mixing with Coke and Irish whiskey was a “female’s choice”. Now, some years later, I know better. All this political correctness amidst fellow epicurean drinkers reminds me of the silly rivalry among my classmates in 6th grade: either you were with the mean-looking Heavy Metal fans worshipping Iron Maiden, or you were a short-haired electro-geek devouring as much Depeche Mode and Howard Jones your eardrums could bare. Were you caught listening to Erasure while wearing your denim-jacket with Judas Priest patches, oh my.
    Silly isn’t it? I know not all Scotch enthusiast is not like this. Far, far from it. But quite a few I’ve met are, and with my former prejudicial stupidity, discard bourbon and Irish. There are many gems to be found outside of Scotland. Without your solicitation, I ask you to go out on a limb. The next time you are ogling the shelves of liquor in your supermarket or favourite whisk(e)y store, try something new. Something not Scottish. Make it an American Rebel Yell, or an Irish Knappogue Castle.
    Perhaps it will outshine the first time you had Scotch. Who knows, maybe it’ll even surpass the pleasures you experienced when you got hot and bothered with the girl of your dreams. /r0b

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On 01 August 2004, Christian Jaqc added the next comment:

I bet there are good rums too, and good cognacs, and good grappa's, and.. and... But I'm interested in Scotch! Not just for the tast, but also for the heritage that comes with the drink. Calling that "prejudicial stupidity" maybe goes a that too far r0b? I am sure you can learn to enjoy whiskey, much in the same way as you learn to appreciate beer, coffee and my beloved single malt scotch! For now, the path before me sees no end, so I'll continue my search on my chosen path...

On 05 August 2004, r0b added the next comment:

Christian, When writing I now and again try to be arguable, to provoce, to exaggerate slightly and to provoce. This makes for more interesting communication, and readers such as yourself will comment and perhaps discuss further. That's one of the things I really I like with websites, the directness. However, I *do* believe there are major prejudices from all sides of the whisky community. You and I may not be one of them, but they do exist albeit in minority (thank god).

On 24 January 2007, Andy added the next comment:

Or even try a Canadian whisky. I suggest Alberta Springs.