this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2023
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Mildly Interesting
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Sips, a drop of water or two, with a good quality single malt or an extremely good quality blend (nothing Johnny Walker for example). Depending on the Scotch there can be Smokey caramel flavours, peaty salty, heavy flavours, some lite fruit tones, etc.
Its not for knocking back in shots, blends are nice with mixers, but if youre sipping a Johnny Walker red you are probably going to think this is shit because it is.
If you ever get the chance to try a really nice single malt I suggest you give it a try with just a couple of drops of water to open it up a bit. Then some gentle sips, enough to coat your mouth and spread the flavours.
Its like a nice cigar. Very rough if youre doing it wrong, very enjoyable if you do it right. I know most people will say "yuck, cigars are gross too", but the point is that there is a way to approach these things that make them much more enjoyable to the point where people genuinely like them and the routine that goes with it.
same kind of thing with coffee. most of it is brewed terribly, usually over extracted, and then sit on a burner all day. Brew it up right and the flavors dance about. Single origin is the way to go; along with location, elevation profile makes a difference as well.
I think I had some decent single malts as my father quite enjoys whiskey, but I still think it's horrible. It could be an acquired taste, I suppose, but I don't know why I would want to acquire it tbh
Other than a good single malt, my favorite drink with a cigar is Dr. Pepper on ice. I was a member of a cigar club for several years, and the manager and resident cigar sommelier suggested it. Surprisingly good. The ice breaks down the carbonation a bit, and the spice and caramel of the soda goes surprisingly well with many cigars.
This is only tangentially related to your post, but it just popped into my head when you were mentioning cigars.
It's defensively an acquired taste, not for everyone.
An acquired taste is just gaslighting your tastebuds.
Taste is a completely subjective thing, that happens mostly in your brain.
Yes, and acquired tastes are you telling your brain "No, actually, this tastes great!" until it gives up and accepts your false reality.
There is no objective taste reality, so there is no false reality. Taste is a complex experience of actual taste, aroma, texture, memories (your grandma used to cook that way), setting, hunger (ever been hungry on a long hiking trip?) - what ever combination gives you pleasurable experience, tastes good for you.
Whenever people start talking about their sensed experience in objective terms I get a strong urge to hit myself over the head with a 2x4. Explain that with your rationality, Mr science man.
Achutally there is an evolutionary advantage in hitting oneself with a 2x4...
For today's demonstration of evolutionary psychology, I will be stoving my PhD student's head in.