Another brand name question (Scotch)

Buffysquirrel said:

Yes. Too much research into Scotch means I now cringe when people drink it neat on tv.

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Och, lassie, ya shuidna drink yer whisky on the TV. Ya shuld sip it in a big overstuffed chair, in front of a fire.

caw

blacbird said:

Och, lassie, ya shuidna drink yer whisky on the TV. Ya shuld sip it in a big overstuffed chair, in front of a fire.

caw

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Aye. Perhaps with a wee dollop of water.

No, that's too much.

Um, ruff

*hands Haggis a glass of Scotch*

*makes Sign of the Cross over glass with bottle of water*

Drink up, pooch.

JayMan said:

You mean Johnny Walker Red isn't considered passable ?

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Depends.

I'm a single malt Scotch drinker--neat. JW Red is a blend and for the most part I don't think blends are passable. That's my palate. If your palate is such that JW Red is passable, then it is. Every person's palate is correct.

To the OP, I'd echo others up-thread who have mentioned about watching what your character drinks and what they can afford.

To answer the OP, Scotch whisky is not a brand name, but it is one of the food groups.

BenPanced said:

*hands Haggis a glass of Scotch*

*makes Sign of the Cross over glass with bottle of water*

Drink up, pooch.

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Gratzi, Ben.

That's the perfect amount of water.

BTW, for you Scotch freaks, I've found another single malt that satisfies even though it is only a ten year old. A.R.D.B.E.G. It's got all the peat of a Lagavulen, and maybe more, but it's not quite as smooth. Still what would you expect of a ten year old vs. a sixteen year old?

BTW, Blacbird's spot on about the alcoholic observation. A drunk cares about the alcohol, not about the lingering wisp of vanilla or the grassy tones of the finish.

Oh, I don't know. Alcholism is about need, not quantity. You could be an alcoholic and a connoisseur.

Buffysquirrel said:

Oh, I don't know. Alcholism is about need, not quantity. You could be an alcoholic and a connoisseur.

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Oh, for sure. Could be. Only it's just less likely is all. IMO, that is.

Buffysquirrel said:

Oh, I don't know. Alcholism is about need, not quantity. You could be an alcoholic and a connoisseur.

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Not untrue, but as the Great Chieftain of the Pudding Race noted, less likely. It would be harder to drink the amount of good single-malt scotch that a dedicated alcoholic will imbibe of vodka or gin or maybe tequila. All the latter can be disguised in mixed flavored drinks as well, so they go down smoooooother. It's perfectly understandable that some people won't like scotch. But only an ignoramus would mix a flavored drink with really fine whisky.

caw

blacbird said:

Yup. Also T.A.L.I.S.K.E.R or L.A.P.H.R.O.A.I.G.

Which actually brings up a thread-pertinent observation: I don't think an alcoholic would be likely to choose these expensive single-malt whiskies to feed the addiction. They are strongly-flavored beverages seldom quaffed in huge amounts, but rather sipped and lingered over. Then again, maybe you have a really wealthy connoisseur alcoholic for a character.

But whatever favorite liquor you choose will reflect on your character, to some extent. Most alcoholics I've encountered prefer to feed their habit with gin or vodka, usually of cheap varieties. If whiskey is a choice, it tends to be cheap bourbon, the overriding principle being quantity defeats quality.

caw

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Why is this character an alcoholic and why Scotch?

Do you want to show cultural identity by drink preference?

Does drinking serve as a vehicle for some act or action that gets him into trouble because he'll finish a bottle on his own and it a) loosens his tongue revealing stuff he ought not? b) reduces inhibitions resulting in sexual activity with wrong person? [or maybe like "Raj" on Big Bang Theory allows him to talk w/women?] c) blacks out and forgets (crime?) things he's done in past 24 hours? or d) becomes a mean drunk?

Or is this character a true alcoholic who drinks in search of oblivion from pain (emotional or physical)? Something in his past to forget?

If the first, an addiction to Scotch would move the story just fine.

If the latter, then the quoted text is true. An alcoholic will have a drink of preference, usually by price point (low) and availability (easy to get.) They will drink until it's gone or they pass out. The goal is not drinking for enjoyment of the taste, quality or to show one can afford it, but to forget. A true alcoholic who prefers beer will turn to hard liquor when the beer runs out and vice versa. Some will even turn to cold medicines (when they still had significant percentage of alcohol in 'em.) The goal is always the same. Along they way to unconsciousness, they can become mean and/or violent, maudlin and emotional or black out and do things they "normally" wouldn't.

To portray one at the figurative bottom of the societal barrel can be done by reference to such (brand name) booze as Night Train (1970s), Ripple, Thunderbird or Wild Irish Rose (been around forever) but that may require permissions. Don't have the answer to that one. Or simply refer to bottles wrapped in brown paper bags.

You could also create a fictitious brand of pint, half liter or liter sized can of beer that your character consumes in quantity. Or any type of alcohol for that matter.