Scotch Tasting at Churchill's

"What is better than a Scotch tasting?", you might ask.  Well the answer is pretty simple: a FREE Scotch tasting!  Yes folks, free.  Churchill's in Baton Rouge recently hosted a tasting of 12 unique Scotches from two different distributors.  I invited Eusebio and Eric to join me for the tasting because I knew they would appreciate the good time.  Among the crowd were a 10-year-old and a Distiller's Edition from Talisker, a Balvenie 17-year-old, a 16-year-old by The Glenlivet, a 15-year-old from The Macallen, and my personal favorite, a 12-year-old from Highland Park.

Talisker's Distiller's Edition from the Isle of Skye

I'm really glad that I tried the Distiller's Edition from Talisker.  As it turns out, I'm actually preferential to their 10-year version that we deemed "The Marksalot".  You can look here for a few more details about it from an earlier post of mine at The Chimes.

Highland Park 12 Year

This Highland Park Scotch was full-flavored and smoky at the start and the finish.  It was dry, succulent, and delicious and left me wanting more after each swallow even though it left a tingle in the back of my throat. The peat flavor was strong from Highland Park, which happens to be the northernmost distillery in Scotland and it dates back to 1798.  For a more in-depth look at all the Scotch we sampled, check out Eric's post from his Beer, Boo!ze, Baseball, and Other B.S. blog.

After the Scotch tasting we were a little tipsy and a lot hungry, so we crossed the street from Churchill's over to Bonefish Grill for a bite to eat at the bar.  I've already submitted a post about Bonefish Grill, so I'll just highlight this visit's food.

Fried Calamari and Crab Cakes... both very tasty, but Calamari was the winner.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops and Seared Tuna, Tuna won by a landslide.

The Main Course: Shrimp Scampi Topped Filet Mignon, Cooked Medium Rare, with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus

I'm not usually one to order a filet.  I typically leave that to the lady folks.  However, this particular steak, topped with shrimp scampi, was absolutely magical.  The meat was tender and flavorful throughout the entire filet while the scampi sauce with shrimp added a little something extra that paired very well with the beef.  I'm certain that I will order this again during a future visit to Bonefish because it was just that good!

All in all it was a great night of hanging out, trying some new Scotch whisky, and filling my belly with fantastic food.  My life is so difficult, I know!