1. With the possible exception of Bud there is no other booze more tied up in masculine ideology than scotch. The list is long; scotch on the golf course, your daddy's glass after work, cigars and scotch, Ron Burgundy, etc. etc. etc.
2. I first got into scotch with a keen 22 year old sense of irony. Men drink scotch! This performative act of imbibing struck me as hilarious, offensive and well, intriguing. I drink, therefore I am(a man).
3. As my irony faded shade by shade into jade(edness) my collection of single malt seemed to reciprocally grow and grow. What was first one bottle of cask strength Laphroaig turned into an arsenal that represented most of the unique distilling regions of the great north.
4. Today I would like share my favorite scotch pairings. These (as far as I can tell) are not your usual hard liquor and food ideas but more what I have found to be fun things to try while drinking your dram.
5. a. Aged gouda, especially 3 year Sankanteer, is one of the only cheeses strong enough to stand up to the hard smoke and heather characteristics of Highland single malt. This cheese is so sharp/sweet and waxy that it actually makes a Macallen 12 yr neat an appetizing spirit. b. Seaweed ,miso, wasabi, I discovered that the salt and brine flavors of many ingredients that I used in preparing soba dishes over the years make a wonderful foil for Islay peat monsters like Ardberg. The sea air bumps up with the salt of these foods and they kinda cancel each other out. I always drink a glass of Islay when making a miso, or soba dish, hi ho! c. Pipe, while this is the most cliché of matches I have to stand by the fact that drinking scotch while smoking a English tobacco truly makes both easier and more enjoyable. After hurting myself on the slopes last weekend I spent no short amount time walking the snow caked hills of Vermont with a handy flask of Scotch and a puff of the old corn cob.
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