Drink Preference

I have gone through various phases of drink preferences.  Not that I drink a lot because I don’t, but it is nice to come home after work and occasionally have a nice drink to help unwind and reflect.  Most people who enjoy a drink from time to time will have their alcoholic drink of choice.  For some it is just beer, others are into mixed drinks, some are into wine (which is another entire topic on preference of red to white), and some prefer a specific type of liquor.  In my early days, college years to mid-20’s, it was all about beer.  Mainly because beer was cheap and has a lot of variety.  I’m sure many of you went through this phase and for some, never left.  But in my 20’s I was introduced to wine.  I had a friend that was a few years older but enjoyed wine and knew a lot about the subject.  I began to learn about wine and to appreciate the vast varieties of wine, their flavors, colors, aromas and balance. 

This wine phase stayed with me for a long time.  My wife and I joined a fledgling wine club in our late 30’s.  We were not founding members but very close to it.  This group would meet once per month and have wine tastings.  There was generally a theme or a specific varietal of wine that we would taste and rank.  The group grew over the years, and we met a lot of great friends.  But eventually the tastings turned into food pairings and began to lose the charm of the early days of the club.  We eventually stopped going to the tastings.  But we do have many fond memories of the time spent with this group.  But I digress…  So, while I do enjoy a good glass of wine, at some point I started trying scotch.  At first, I thought, that is a bit harsh, too much alcohol taste, burns the throat, etc.  But as I learned about scotch and the greater category of whiskey to include scotch, rye whiskey, bourbon and various other forms of whiskey, I started to appreciate the wide variety of flavors, aromas and colors…gee, just like wine, only different. 

So, now my drink of choice is sitting down with a nice dram of whiskey, generally scotch, but also various whiskeys and bourbons.  As you begin to explore the world of whiskey, you start to realize what you prefer and ways to take the edge off some whiskeys.  Many whiskey enthusiasts develop a taste for certain whiskey characteristics.  Some are into peaty whiskeys, some into smokey flavors, and some have no preference and enjoy them all.  But I think a lot of whiskey drinkers will have one or several brands and ages that are their go-to dram.  The bottle that is always open and ready to go.  For whatever reason, there is something about those whiskeys that is a comforting draw.  So, to get to my point of this blog, I have 2 or 3 brands and ages of whiskey that I almost always have in stock.  Just like beer and wine connoisseurs have their favorites.  My 3 favorites, go-to, whiskeys are all scotch and not the cheapest bottles but by far not expensive either.  I consider them affordable scotch.    So, here they are, Aberlour 12 year, Aberfeldy 12 year and The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 year.  All three are exceptional, everyday drinking scotch.  Straight up, no ice.  They are consistent with each new year’s bottling.  So, what is your drink of choice, beer, wine, tequila, whiskey, mixed drinks?  Love to hear your thought in the comments.