Which Scotch Gives you the Best High?

Didn't you get enough responses when you posted this on the 14th?

You were wrong a week ago, and you're wrong now. Please go away until you grow up.

-- Larry

that in mind, do different scotches give different highs? Which is your favorite and what is the high like? How would you describe a good scotch high? This is your chance to really express yourselves. If you are shy about it just take a couple of drinks then come on back here.

The effect of alcohol is relaxing; it makes certain stresses almost inaccessible to the mind (shutting them down, in some ways), while allowing new, tangential enthusiasms to bubble up, as inhibitions in other areas become no longer quite so inhibited.

I don't think it makes a difference what form of alcohol you ingest for that to happen, but the 'quality' of the "high" will then depend upon situations that are then EXternal, and not related to the alcohol itself--except to the extent that what you are drinking brings you pleasure because it tastes satisfying, or fills you with other feeling. In terms of scotch, these other feelings (which are highly influenced by 'ideation') include memories of trips to Scotland, the memories that get invoked by certain aromas (I have an Ardmore that I love because it has aromas that are almost identical to the smell of the Berlin U-bahn--a very unique, pungent, earthy smell of brown coal--I absolutely love this and the associations it brings). Similarly, the rich sherry of an Aberlour A'bunadh can conjure feelings of warmth and splendour and also POWER, the brusque punch of a Talisker can conjure feelings of bracing sea-brine and island hills, and the gentle complexity of Highland Park can conjure feelings of heathery charm, along with memories of my trip to the Orkneys!

Smells (which comprise the vast majority of sensations we sense when we drink whisky) conjure associations, in almost primordial ways. But these are in large part subjective to the person drinking it--because that person has spent years developing appreciations, memories, and associations. SOME of these are shared among virtually all humans--because some smells trigger disgust, or pleasure, almost universally--this relates to both our biological preparedness and our cultural upbringing. Then again, if you threw up drinking Liebfraumilch for the first time when you were 17, then the taste of Liebfraumilch will have some negative connotations for you in the future. It will diminsh your "high". But this is highly personal. Likewise, somebody can have a great "high" drinking Southern Comfort out of a tennis shoe, because sweet Suzy was holding his hand when he first did it when he was 17.

Certain forms of alcohol seem to hit harder, others more gentle, and others are simply 'bad medicine' (raw, polluted stuff that makes your liver gasp for water)--but then again that also depends on such factors as if you have an empty stomach, if you have just eaten pizza or pate' fois gras, if you already have a stomachache, if you are alone and lonely or with friends, if you have just lost a soccer match or just passed your orals for your doctorate, if you haven't had a drink in a week--you NAME it. I have a friend who just had major surgery and ate for the first time. The little bit of bread dipped in a little bit of coffee she finally got to have, was probably the most wonderful "high" she ever had!

Brilliant Douglas. I am definitely printing this out. Along these lines, I liked Cardhu. In most every box of Cardhu there is a little card telling some history of this scotch. It mentions how a small cask might be used on certain cold nights or after a trip. I've had a cozy feeling from Cardhu ever since'

No I did not get enough responses. That is why I put the question forward a second time. If you read the answer by Douglas Hoyt you will find exactly what I was seeking.

of this scotch. It mentions how a small cask might be used on certain cold nights or after a trip. I've had a cozy feeling from Cardhu ever since...

I have a soft spot for Cardhu too, though I haven't bought it for 20 years (!). But I would have to add that I think that some whiskies are 'better' or more satisfying, over time than others--if you have a wide variety of whiskies on hand, and sample them over time and across circumstances, and compare a variety of them 'blind' (without knowing which one is which)--eventually some really are preferable--you buy them again no matter what. Even IF, to some extent, taste preferences are always individual--some whiskies will still be more highly preferred by a wider range of people. Impressions, or ideations, or fascinations that often enhance the enjoyment of a whisky (the 'romance' of a particular whisky) CAN ultimately get overruled by the bare bones of quality (particularly if the whiskies are tasted blind).

Ach, ya puir wee thing ye.

Why?

"Douglas W. Hoyt" wrote

If you like Cardhu, you should get a bottle or two. They are about to change fra "Single Malt" to "Pure Malt" like Glenfiddich did.

Just my 2 cents.

Larry,

It sounds to me like your dopamine receptors are blown out because of alcohol abuse. Next time, have a few belts of cheap stuff before you reply. I say cheap stuff because I don't want you to feel pressured.

Jim