It has been very hot here in Pennsylvania. And it’s been unseasonably hot over a large part of the United States this summer.
My question for you: are you still drinking whisky in this warm weather? If so, what? And how are you drinking it?
(For me, I’m just drinking the same stuff I would normally drink–whatever I’m in the mood for. I’m just waiting until later in the evening to drink it, after the temperatures have cooled off.)
I have it the same way, for some reason I never understood why others divide their whiskies into seasons, and that Islay’s is a winter dram
If its too hot I like something with more water in it or simply just a lot of water between, before or after a dram
Macdeffe
I used to think winter was the better season for Islays because we have a fireplace in our house and the smokiness of the whisky paired well with the fire. However, I go on one or two scuba trips each year, often to warmer climates, and Islays (or any coastal smoky whisky) taste just as good in the ocean air. Talisker, Bowmore, Laphroaig…they all taste good on the dive deck.
So now I am in the habit of drinking whatever I’m in the mood for. And if no one minds a tangent, I’m curious if there are any divers on here and what you drink after your last dive of the day.
For me hot weather = bourbon, we went on a fishing trip the other week and drank wild turkey with lots of ice. Their style of distillation leaves a decidedly cool mouthfeel so having it over ice was quite refreshing. But we didn’t pull out any fine whisky until after the sun went down.
I’ve been having less expensive America whiskeys on the rocks. (Old Overholt, Elijah Craig, Elmer T Lee)
Also a bunch of talisker 10/18.
For my money, nothing beats Compass Box’s Asyla. Though i have recently found the terrific Knappogue’s Castle ….which is as easy drinkin as peach snapple
I’m with you there on the Asyla, ev. I’ve also been drinking an a 2007 GM bottling of Rosebank (16 yo, 46%) which turns out to be kind of like a more dynamic, malty, vibrant version of Asyla.
I’ve actually started putting my whiskey in the fridge since its over 100 degrees outside when I get home around 730pm. I pour a double and sip it neat.
This summer I’ve switched to Makers Mark – also the new Makers 46. Last night I had Jim Beam Black Label. Smooth sweet, mellow and chilled from the fridge – makes for a great night cap.
I agree, the new Maker’s 46 has been a real treat this summer. A couple ice cubes and a shady spot make it a great way to end the day.
Summer is a relative term. We have four seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction.
Our high temp for the year was 83 (F) one day in late June and one day in early July.
Glenrothes Alba Reserve has been great while the steak’s in marinade and BenRiach Curiositas later.
I’m a peat-freak but when it’s really hot, a nice dark sherry whisky is absolutly fantastic. In summertime I also give a chance to the good blends like Royal Salut or Hibiki…..but never with ice, if I need it a little bit cooler, so I but the bottle for a couple of minutes in the freezer.
Bourbon seems pretty appropriate for me in summer’s hot weather. I’ve tried a couple dram of Ardbeg Airam Nam beist and a few sample of cask strength single malts when temp was 33 degres celcius and it wasn’t a good idea. i felt very bad and my head wanted to blow off !
I still prefer to stay in basement for a couple hours when i need to do my reviews.
If it’s a critical situation (lol!) a cold beer by the pool can also do the job !
One I discovered from the award issue, Evan Williams Single barrel. a relatively light , great balanced whiskey perfect on the rocks during the searing summer heat , at a great price under $30. Surprisingly smooth and as John said perilously drinkable.
John, much like you, I’ve been drinking what ever I’d normally drink. However, I recently got some new whiskies that are so good, I’ve been reaching for them… Hibiki 12, Glenmorangie Signet, Balvenie 15yr, SMWS 125.27 (Glenmo). If I didn’t have these on the shelf I’d be reaching for anything from an Ardbeg (especially the Rollercoaster – feels good going down even in this heat) to a Balblair (1991 or 1997)
1997 Cragganmore Unchillfiltered Signatory Single Malt Whisky. Hands down it is the perfect light floral dram to take to beach, relax and watch the surf, with the requisite ice ball of course.
TQM, while it lasted, the 1997 Signatory Cragganmore is the bottle I used to start many an evening of whisky tasting. I never took it to the beach, but I imagine it’d be just the thing there – on a polar ice cap. And so affordable.
I don’t really have a seasonality to my whiskies either, but I am still enjoying some of my favorites in this hot weather. My go-to is a refreshing manhattan on the rocks with Old Overholt rye and carpano antica vermouth. For scotch, I’m with Joshua on reaching for the Balblair. I find the ’97 quite nice and light for summer. On that front I’d also go for a Glenrothes, or even, dare I say, its blended brother, good old Cutty Sark.
My own bias is less seasonal and more to do with specific times of day. I love a dram pre-dinner, and my favourites would be the Linkwood 12-year-old and the Longmorn 15-year-old. Fresh, fruity,malty and floral with just a little bit of peat. Young Speysiders with more of an ex-Bourbon influence are perfect for whetting the appetite.
Well, I live in the tropics so it’s all the same to me. It’s a hundred plus on the index and I am drinking Ardbeg–no ice, no water.
The hottest days of summer will not stop me from drinking Islay spirits.
Fortunately I’ve been out of state most of the summer to beat the PA heat, but my go-to summer whiskey drinks are a Whiskey Smash with blackberries and Weller 107 or Bernheim, and a good old-fashioned Mint Julep using Mr. Wondrich’s favorite formula with Martell VSOP and Rittenhouse Bonded.
I’ll play the role of iconoclast here, and admit that I’ll stir myself up a Mizuwari. I’ve got a great sized glass from a beer festival, maybe five and a half ounces, but the perfect size for four ice cubes, a good measure of whisky (Crown Royal Reserve, atm), and a bit more water than whisky. Is it the best way to experience all the aromas and flavors of a whisky? Nope, but it’s damn refreshing.
Whatever… I mean it’s just Crown reserve. I do that with my standard Ballantines & Inverhouse, Myself.
I believe that anytime is whisk(e)y time….recently found 10 year old Deerstalker…love those goose berries….’on we go’…..Michael
Personally I wait until the sun goes down and drop in some very cold non-tap water from the fridge to get the temperature to about 18-20 C (probably 65-70F) – i.e. red wine temperature. Chilling the whisky itself is a bit too radical.
I recall John Glaser of Compass Box recounting how he used to fill a pitcher with Ice, lemons (I think) and half a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label – you can see where Orangerie and Spice Tree have their roots…
Two words: Mint Julep
I like to use Buffalo Trace, Makers Mark or Woodford Reserve in mine. Depending on what I have handy at the time.
Springbank 15 yr.
Because I can do sports more easily in summer, I find that I have an easier time drinking “difficult” whiskies (i.e. cask strength or heady ones) than in wintertime. Also, I am sure the sunlight helps a lot…
However, I seem to reserve the pre-08 bottlings of Ardbeg (before the Glenmorangie ownership) for winter, when I am more likely to just have a single dram, in order not to get a headache. Laphroaig however turns out terrifically any time of year. Thank god!
No change what so ever – Its been 95 to 100 in Omaha all week and so I am drinking Laphroiag, Caol Isla, and I throw in a few Speysides that the Dell sometimes has underpriced
Monique finally found my Peated Bunnahbhain under a rock somewhere so I am having that one tonight!
I walked through the grass this morning shortly after sunrise. First frost of the season today. I’ll be heading for the Bunnahabhain tonight to celebrate.
No change for me. Actually the temperature seems to be lower in my house in summer than in winter
Bruichladdich Rocks. For as much grief as I give them for their expensive malts, their inexpensive ones are fantastic values.
I just got some of that myself– the more recent bottling– Which do you have?
It’s interesting to note that all the controversial text about actually putting it on the rocks has been dropped along with the ice and water imagery on the tin. The blurb on the new bottle takes the “Rocks” concept in a more literal direction:
“Bruichladdich alone uses water that has filtered through 1,800 million year old gneiss rocks- the oldest in the whisky world.” Kind’ve funny… But the flavors in the dram are sure wild.
Bring a whisky to a ‘fjord’ in Denmark and any season can be whisky season. I can enjoy almost anything but prefer an older islay’er, lets say a 79 Ardbeg CC from G&M or Bowmore perhaps – smooth and round and not too fancy. I always remember to bring cold beer too. And a cupcake.
..inside the house no difference. If I am outside grilling then Bernheim or WT Rye or WT 101 on the rocks instead of a beer at times.
I’m comin’ over, and I’ll bring the pork tenderlion and a growler of Otto’s pils!
I’m comin’ over, and I’ll bring the pork tenderloin and a growler of Otto’s pils!
Is Otto’s pilsner a local brew for you? I admit I am not much of a beer aficionado, although I do have my faves (any version of Shiner Bock, Abita, Pacifico, Guiness)
I mainly do brisket, ribs, pork roasts (of course steaks and burgers as well)..never a tenderloin, will have to try one. I am betting that the new Laphroaig single barrel CS would be great with some great hickory-smoked brisket with a nice thick spicy “bark” on it. BTW, Coors Light is the best beer to use for your brisket mop sauce!
..sorry I mean Laph single BATCH
Weekends outside with the Weber: Three fingers of Winkle rye, one ice cube; Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot; and Berry Weiss Leinenkugel.
My drinking buddy’s choices change drastically in the summertime (Islays go by the wayside; beer consumption rises), and his frequency and amount plummet, as well. Not me. Enjoying everything from the Beast and Laphroaig 15 and 18 to Duncan Taylor NC2 bottlings of Ben Nevis and Clynelish. Must say that even when the days are in the 90′s, I have the benefit of fairly cool indoor temperatures in the evening.
My summer drams include Bruichladdich 10, 15, and Full Strength. I have several of each put away, so no need to deal with wine finished monstrosities. Also Springbank 10 in regular and 100 proof versions. And throw in the Compass Box Whisky Spice Tree and the G&M13 yo Glen Elgin. These are supplimented by other lighter drams from the back of my cabinet.
On the bourbon side, the latest Evan Williams Single Barrel, Woodford Reserve, and Van Winkle 10 year old 107 proof (usually with an ice cube).
And I picked up a bottle of Partido blanco tequilla. No peat until November in NYC, where fall lasts for all of a coulpe of days.
Slainte.
Louis
i’m like you john – my favorites stay the same year round, regardless of weather. however, it is very hot and humid here so i also tend to wait until i know i don’t have to go outside (thank God for AC!). last night i had some pappy lot b and it was great.
Nothing goes down better on a heater than a bit of Pappy 15 followed by a tall glass of KY Bourbon Barrel Ale….Cheers!
It’s a Lagavulin 16 for me….on the rocks..and of course, being the mixer that I am, I might chase it with my favorite undistilled malt, Sweetwater IPA..
Nothing better than sitting on the deck, listening to the birds, staring into the woods behind the house with cocktail in hand.
I’m the same John. Just drinking what I normally do. Drink it in the evenings. Whisky and Bourbon, it’s a year round “sport” for me.
Glenmorangie Nectar d’Òr, with its wonderful nose and gentle taste. Also Talisker 57° North, pleasant mix of peat and fruitiness. And Rosebank 20 yo Rare Malts, cut grass and summer meadows.
Sure,
if you now something better as to sit in the evening hours on your balcony, having a dram. I like the bourbon more then the scotch in summer. Also the auchentoshan, lowland whisky, etc.
The stronger highland and islay one, i prefer in autumn. When it`s going cold outside and they bring the warm within.
While summers in Belgium are rarely hot, the few days that indeed higher temperatures are reached, I like to have something ‘feminine’ in my glass, like a Lowland whisky (example Auchentoshan Select or Classic).
I gravitate towards lower proof and do more mixing during the summer heat.
Like you John, I drink whatever I’m in the mood for and drink it the same way as any other time of the year. Some of the best experiences I’ve had with Ardbeg have been when it was hot and humid.
Nothing changes for me regarding whisky, but I do add in more rhum agricole in the summer months. This includes an ass kicking rhum, Cantor ginger liqueur, fresh lime and tonic concoction. For whisky, though, my drinking patterns hold steady. It will be neat. It will not be chilled. From Lowlands (rare for me) to Orkney to Islay, it will fit the mood, the day, the attitude. Heat and humidity be damned.
Which Rhum Aghricoles Mark? My girlfriend’s been drinking a lot of Clement VSOP on crushed ice.
I’m a big Rhum Clement fan too!
I agree witk John that if you feel like drinking something you should go for it. In Greece though we have 39 celcius these days and when i drink my favorite islay my ears are becoming red like fire. If you combine it with lager beer becomes more cool but still with red ears. If you try a couple of coctails upfront….man what a night
Bourbon in the summer for me. Pappy 15, Old Weller Antique, Old Grand Dad 114, etc.. It just seems to taste better.
Still neat.
I go with slightly lower proof bourbon and rye for the summer. I drink everything straight so the higher proof stuff makes me feel really hot and sweaty (I only have A/C in one bedroom of the house). I’ve been enjoying Evan Williams 1783 and black label, Elijah Craig 18, Dickel 12, and a few others. Once cooler weather hits, it’s back to Old Heaven Hill BIB, OGD BIB, Rittenhouse BIB, Knob Creek, Fighting Cock, and OGD 114!!
my daughter was in Australia in may. she brought me a bottle of johnnie walker double black, i wonder if any of your readers have tried this and their comment. thanks.
On a very hot summer day I do prefer a Four Roses with ice and ginger ale and a slice of lemon.