Evanston: the end is nigh
Evanston: the end is nigh
Not the end of the world, at least not to my knowledge. But something more personal and urgent: the end of my Laphroaig. I am down to the last pour, and none of the local liquor stores have had any in stock for more than a month.
I have mentioned Laphroaig often in these pages. It is a single malt scotch distilled on Islay, an island off the west coast of Scotland. It promotes itself accurately as the richest tasting of all single malts. Smoke, peat, iodine: it, along with Lapsang Souchong tea–also smoky–are the tastes of the sea. Laphroaig is my favorite drink. Not just my favorite scotch. My favorite drink. Period. I wouldn’t put it on breakfast cereal. For that matter I don’t drink it often in hot weather–which is a good reason to like winter. And now there is only one more glass.
There are several versions of Laphroaig. I prefer the 10 year, whose flavor is stronger, to the 15 year, which is smoother. I also like cask strength and quarter cask, both of which are over 100 proof must be diluted before drinking. Quarter cask is aged in small casks where the spirit has more contact with the wood surface. I drink 10 year undiluted.
There are alternatives. I can still find 15 year Laphroaig, Caol Ila and Lagavulin, both also from Islay, and Oban from the nearby mainland of Scotland.
I seldom have a drink before 5:00 p.m., and just as seldom don’t have one after. As I write it is 4:03. In a little while I will pour the last glass.
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Friday, December 7, 2007