by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

It’s the coldest winter of the century here in Greater Cincinnati, but we can easily keep warm with a selection of fine Scotch. Here are my picks for some of the best everyday whiskies on the shelf, from best blends to peat bombs to world classic single malts.

Best Everyday Blend:

Teacher’s Highland Cream is one of the few well-known brands of blended Scotch still bottled at a full-bodied 43% abv. The extra proof carries more flavor on the palate. Every critic, from Jim Murray to Paul Pacult to the late Michael Jackson agrees: Teacher’s will school you on how to blend a scrumptious Scotch. It’s a real shame it’s not better known in the US, because it puts to shame lots of 12-year-age-statement whiskies of far more renown and price. Price: just $16.99 a 750 ml.

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By Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

The newest single malt Scotch on the shelf is an interesting dram, both in flavor and for what it says about the Scotch industry. For some years now, we have offered superb bottlings of Ardmore from several independent bottlers such as Gordon & MacPhail, Duncan Taylor and Whisky Galore, and Signatory. Ardmore has never been available in America in an “official�? distillery edition; as with many rare malt distilleries, the only way to get any was the independent bottlers. But for the 110^th anniversary of the distillery, there is an official debut in America, called Ardmore Traditional Cask with a 46% abv, non-chill filtered version that happily promotes its “unique, Highland peat-smoke.�? Well, puff away…

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Master of Whisky Robert Sickler ventured from Ohio’s capitol city to our EQ cooking school for a spectacular Scotch tasting last Friday, May 16. Possibly there is no group of EQ students more devoted to their favorite product than our Scotch crowd, and they came out in force tonight for 8, count ‘em eight delicious and definitely classic single malts.

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by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

Along with being my favorite place to be shipwrecked, the Scottish island of Islay holds eight working single malt Scotch distilleries. While such smoky, peaty monsters as Lagavulin and Laphroaig are enormously popular, there is another Islay (pronounced EYE luh) distillery that has utterly captured the hearts of whisky lovers worldwide. This is Bruichladdich, the only independent distillery on Islay, owned and operated largely by natives of the island (who are Ileachs). I spent time with Bruichladdich Master Distiller Jim McEwan at several events in late October—including a smashing tasting for EQ@The Party Source—and got the low-down on Bruichladdich, and the fearlessly creative distiller at its helm.

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