From The Sunday Best:
"Despite our obvious ties to Scotland — our first Prime Minister for example — Canadians have an unforgivably restricted selection when it comes to the great scotches of the world. Why this is so is a boring story of regulation, government interference, and general ignorance. When one looks at the paltry whisky offerings of your average Canadian liquor store it’s hard to believe our country was responsible for keeping our southern, prohibition-cursed neighbours in the sauce.
Here then is a drinking guide to scotches available in Canada, for less than $150. All prices are for 750ml bottles in Canadian dollars.
You only want or can afford one bottle, and it can’t be more than $60 —>
Johnnie Walker Black - $49.99
The venerable black label has suffered some undeserved “frat boy” tarring lately, and an equal amount of snobbery from the misguided single malt set. Don’t believe the nonsense. Johnnie Walker Black is a fine sipping whisky or, as my tasting instructor said, a nice Sunday morning pick me up with a little cola. Yes, he is Scottish.
Here’s how good I think the Black is - I’d put it ahead of single malts in the same price range such as Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, or Glenmorangie.
I liked that but want to pay more for something with more complexity —>
Johnnie Walker Green - $69.99
I don’t know if it’s the name alone that creates the effect, but a sip of Johnnie Walker Green is as refreshing as a walk through a misty forest. It’s distinctly more verdant than the Black, with notes of mown lawns and river water. Definitely better in early Spring.
Those are both good, but I want to go single malt in the same price range —>
Highland Park 12 - $64.99
The baseline by which all single malts should be judged. I’m not saying this is the gold standard - I’m saying that in this price range this is what you should be expecting. Great first impression, blooming in the mouth, smoke that lingers, with the smell that if you ever make it to Scotland genuinely comes off the heather fields. It’s so good that the twenty or so dollars you save going to a Glenfiddich isn’t worth it.
Is more than doubling the price worth it for six more years —>
Highland Park 18 - $149.99
If you don’t have the free cash to spend $150 on anything, the difference won’t be worth it. You can drink nothing but Highland Park 12 for the rest of your life and not be missing a beat. But, and this is probably a paradox, if you are looking to spend this amount of money on scotch, this is the one I’d buy.
You’re going to feel the extra weight, the extra smoothness, and the extra variety of flavours. It has, for lack of a better term, great mouth feel. It tastes and feels expensive, and what more can you ask for in something that is?
Okay, those are pretty good. But what if I’m having whisky snobs over and I want to impress them with a bottle, just one bottle of scotch? What then smart guy?
Glenfarclas 12 - Currently unavailable.
Glenfarclas 17 - $107.99
I had a taste of a Glenfarclas 30 at the last Victoria Whisky Festival and oooooh god was it good. It was, by degrees of magnitude, the best thing I have ever had in my mouth. It’s not available in British Columbia but that hardly matters because it’s around $450.
That’s the bad news. The good news is the Glenfarclas 17 is absolutely fantastic. It is the most ridiculously priced bottle of awesome that you can get in a Canadian liquor store. Offer this to any scotch lover and they will immediately nod with appreciation. But they’re all thankless bastards anyway - keep this and drink it yourself. It rewards slow, even sips."
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