Etiquette -- 6 days ago
I used to be a bit scared of whisky. Scared of ordering it, and scared of drinking it, and even a bit scared of other people who ordered it and drank it. To the uneducated palate it’s not a welcoming drink. To someone who doesn’t know the difference between a blend and a single malt (sacrilege, I know), it’s quite intimidating. Most men I’ve met seem to have some inherent whisky knowledge. Most ladies don’t. Which probably has quite a lot to do with why girls don’t drink it as much as men do. And don’t you have to belong to some exclusive cigar wielding, velvet jacket wearing old boy’s club in order to drink it anyway?
In many ways, whisky is its own worst enemy. Those smoking rooms, old men and velvet jackets it conjures up are also what makes it seem inaccessible to a vast majority of the (female) population. But if whisky sales and barmen are to be believed, that’s all changing.
There’s never been a better time to introduce your better half to the joys of a dram. After all, the only real gentleman’s drink is a whisky, and it’ll taste all the better if you can share one or two with your girlfriend. I recently went to the stunning Balblair Distillery near Dornoch to pick up a few tips for you on how to introduce your girlfriend to the delicacies of a fine Scotch. Take note.
SPEND A ROMANTIC WEEKEND AWAY IN THE HIGHLANDS
Nothing says romance like a weekend in the glorious Scottish Highlands, and there’s few things more seductive than an evening in front of a fire with a fine vintage. If you don’t have friends that own a Scottish castle (bad luck), find your girlfriend and yourself a cottage north of Inverness – everyone knows that the further north in Scotland you go, the better it gets – and you’re halfway to enchanting her with the wonderful ways of a single malt Scotch already.
TAKE A BREAK FROM THE LONG WALKS AND CANDLE-LIT MEALS FOR A BIT OF HERITAGE
Somewhere between your evenings in front of the fire and long hilly walks, plan a trip to a distillery. It’s a well known fact amongst distillery managers that women who come along to keep their husbands/boyfriends entertained on a distillery tour often end up having just as much, if not even more fun than their other half. Why? Because us ladies love a bit of history and there’s nothing quite like learning about whisky from a charismatic distillery manager who’s as Scottish as they get. John MacDonald, the captain of the Balblair ship, is a fantastic storyteller and if your girlfriend isn’t charmed into sampling the distillery’s core range of vintages, well, then you should probably just give up.
KNOWLEDGE ISN’T JUST POWER, IT’S AN APHRODISIAC TOO
You don’t want to be shown up by aforementioned distillery manager, so scrub up on your whisky knowledge before the trip; a man with knowledge is as much of an aphrodisiac as those subtle tones themselves. We all know that old saying that the quickest way to make someone fall for you is to teach them something. So scrub up on your whisky knowledge, boy. [Insider’s tip: it’s all about the non-age statements at the moment.]
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WHISKY (AND BY THAT I MEAN CHOOSE THE EXPENSIVE WHISKY)
Respect your girlfriend’s palette, evolution has made it more advanced than yours. You don’t want to be responsible for starting a dangerously expensive habit, but there’s no harm in spending a bit of money on an older whisky to ease her into it. My favourite whisky to date is the Balblair Vintage 1983 1st Release. It comes in at a cool £210 but its long, warm and full-bodied finish is easy on a novice whisky drinker’s palette.
AND FINALLY, IMPRESS HER WITH YOUR CULINARY TALENTS
It used to be the case that a red meat had to be accompanied by a full-bodied red, seafood by a crisp white, and so on. But increasingly top chefs are recommending pairing whisky with fine dining. At the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s headquarters in Edinburgh you’ll even find a restaurant dedicated to pairing the best single cask whiskies with different foodie delights.
And if all else fails – whisky goes well with chocolate.
Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?
Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.
