FOUND: Jack Daniel's Fudge

Here's something I found at the supermarket recently.

If like me, you like to drink your whisky (or whiskey, if you're Irish)with a little cola, you might like this.  It's sweet, soft caramel fudge laced with lots of Jack Daniel's. A whisky purist will probably gag on it. A recovering alcoholic may want to stay away from it.

These days, when I do drink socially, whisky is my poison of choice.

Photo courtesy of Benjamin Thompson

This distilled alcoholic beverage is made from fermented mixed milled grain (commonly barley with sorghum, rye or wheat) that is aged in oak casks. It only ages in the cask, where the chemical reaction between the ingredients and the wood mellows the whisky. Most whiskies have 40% alc/vol  which is why a first timer may be overwhelmed by it. 

Here's  some tips how to enjoy your first (or next) glass:

IT'S A GLASS ACT.  Whisky needs room to breathe. Use a wide, tall glass.  Swirl your whisky in the glass or blow gently into the drink. This allows the alcohol to evaporate and the woody scent to surface.

KEEP IT SMALL. The alcohol in the whisky can burn you so it's best to take it in small slow sips so you can savor it and feel the warmth of the alcohol in your tongue. 

SIMPLE PLEASURE. Though these days I drink my whiskey with a bit of cola, the best way to detect the different tones of your whisky is to drink it straight. Coming from a tropical country where it's usually served with ice it's weird to know that the cold can lessen the bite as it mutes some of the flavors.