The Auld Claret Jug may have been made in the style of the containers used to serve 19th century claret, a dry red wine produced in France’s famous Bordeaux region, but make no mistake – scotch whisky is the flavour of the world’s oldest Major championship.
With five Scottish courses taking centre stage on the Open rota, including this year’s host, Carnoustie Golf Links, celebrating the occasion without a nip of malted goodness is utter sacrilege.
As 1886 British Amateur champion Horace Hutchinson famously said, “We borrowed golf from Scotland as we borrowed whisky. Not because it is Scottish, but because it is good.”
And this month celebrates that dual goodness.
But before we get to our recommendations, here are a few key things you need to know.
When drinking scotch during this month’s British Open, order it ‘neat’ (no ice) or ‘on the rocks’. If you order it neat, add a few drops of water to open up its aromas and flavours. Now you’re becoming an experienced scotch drinker.
Scotch should also come in one of two glasses: a rocks glass or a whisky glass, which is smaller, tulip-shaped and designed for neat pours. Accept no substitutes.
Two of the main categories are single malts and blended whiskys. Single malts are usually priced higher, but that doesn’t mean they’re better like your mate tells you.
Another thing to remember is you do not ‘shoot’ a scotch and chase it with a beer. It’s meant to be sipped and savoured.
Oh, and that age statement on the bottle reflects the minimum time it stayed in an oak barrel before bottling, not in the bottle itself. Older scotches (12 to 25 years) tend to be more expensive because the casks have more time to infuse flavour.
To steer away from the generic brands you find in the bottle shops, we hit up Seamus Carroll, co-founder of WhiskyLoot.com, an Australian-based whisky club that offers monthly scotch subscriptions among its collection.
We asked Carroll to match the distinctive traits found in all five Scottish courses on the Open rota with five scotch varieties found at WhiskyLoot.com.
“These are the perfect pairings for raising a glass to the Champion Golfer of the Year,” Carroll says.
Cheers, Scotland!
Carnoustie Golf Links
Kilchoman Sanaig
When you think brutal whiskies, you think Islay. Heavy peat, salty coasts and a punch of flavour. Kilchoman embodies that perfectly. The distillery (launched in the early 2000s) boasts a bucket-load of awards for its youth but we love it for its roughness. The Sanaig famously pairs Kilchoman’s bourbon and sherry barrel into one youthful blend and has beaten all of its Islay competition in awards since.
St Andrews
GlenDronach 18
As one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries (1826), GlenDronach proudly preserves tradition in its entire production process. This release utilised the distillery’s (now defunct) on-site malting and peating facilities, and you can taste it with that tiny tease of dark smoke. To preserve the tradition further, the 18 is aged entirely in the distillery’s hand-picked sherry casks and utilises that rich flavour.
Turnberry
Kilkerran 12
A relative newcomer, Kilkerran sits oceanside and with on-premise ageing, each whisky is exposed to the rich, salty waters, much like Turnberry herself. Being on the west cost of Scotland, Turnberry and Campbelltown’s Glengyle Distillery are a stone’s throw from each other. Kilkerran’s 12-year-old expression contains a combination of sherry and bourbon casks to preserve a brightness in the spirit while retaining those satisfying darker notes. Although salt is always the first note people get.
Muirfield
Ben Nevis 10
To celebrate the roundest 18 holes in Scotland, we’re recommending the Ben Nevis 10, probably the most well-rounded 10-year-old scotch on the market (and it helps that the bottle contains mostly 17-year-old whisky). The whisky exhibits this rich roundness which is unique for a highland distiller, there’s no sharp edges here. Aged entirely in undisclosed barrels, the malt is fat and buzzing – suggesting a combination of old sherry and bourbon barrels went into it.
Royal Troon
Edradour 12
In a tip of the cap to the famous Postage Stamp hole, why not choose Scotland’s smallest distillery? Edradour is perhaps best known for producing a mere 90,000 litres per annum with a workforce of just three. Established in 1825 in the hills of Pitlochry, Edradour maintains its heritage as an almost artisanal distillery. The whisky itself is a double-aged drop, spending the first seven years of its life in a small fruity bourbon cask before being rounded out for five years in rich, sweet sherry casks.
– Order yours at whiskyloot.com
