Aw, heck. I thought you were really going to rally the Scots against the HomeBrewers to give us a run for the money. Thought maybe you'd tell them all that King Edward the Longshanks was a HomeBrewer.

Well let me tell you that the thing I have against the Scots is that you make scotch. And scotch is made with barley. And barley is used for beer. So you folks are driving up my homebrewing costs, dangnabit.

Cheers.

Bill Velek

Heh, heh. I don't know what kind of swill that you made over there before we started making whiskey over here, but I'm sure we've helped you improve it a lot. You do know that scotch -- made in Scotland -- is aged in old whiskey barrels that come from the U.S., don't you? Yep! When we're finished with the barrels here, we ship them to Scotland for aging scotch. Now, I don't know if you all do that because our old barrels improve the flavor of your scotch, or if you do it because it's cheaper. That's a hard one to figure out, considering the reputation that you all have for pinching the penny.

As for what we make here that is authentic: in its early years, the U.S. made a lot of hard cider (from apple juice) and rum from molasses that was shipped up the coast from the carribean, and we made a lot of rye (don't ask me why; it doesn't taste that good, and I wouldn't think rye would necessarily be a better crop than, let's say, corn). But George Washington made a LOT of rye whiskey. When the U.S. started to tax whiskey so high (causing the 'whiskey rebellion'), many farmers moved down to the remoter areas of Kentucky and Tennessee where they were pretty much out of the reach of the government (referred to as 'revenuers'). Now, I might have Kentucky and Tennessee mixed up, but one of those states has much higher limestone deposits, which affects the water, so one of them makes regular 'burbon' and the other makes 'sour mash' -- both of which are made from corn. I guess those are essentially considered as American (U.S.) liquors. Mexico makes Tequilla from a native plant, and Canada is noted for its 'blended whiskeys', which are very good. That covers this side of the pond, although there are no doubt some distilleries that make vodka and gin, too. I think vodka is made generally from potatoes, so you'd think it would be a big Irish drink, but it's considered best from Russia, etc. I don't know what the heck gin is made from, except that a lot of seasonings are added, such as juniper berries, IIRC. It was real big in England at one time (maybe still is), but I don't know if it originated there. Brandy, of course, is made from wine. But the best drink of all is good old BEER or ALE. Now, most of what is brewed in the U.S. is a variety called 'pilsner' (a lager), which can be good. But homebrewers usually make ales of different sorts that can rival the best in Europe and elsewhere.

Cheers.

Bill Velek

Bill (?) you're fighting a brave fight and we Scots respect that but c'mon, have you ever wallowed in the luxury of a dram of Glenmorangie or The Macallan (aged in port or sherry casks)? You're home brews are an admirable attempt in the art of alcohol but please! Might I refer you to a salute to the noble art from your own side of the pond? http://www.smwsa.com/
I enjoy a Jack Daniels and even a well tempered home brew but, be honest, you cannot...oh! enough said, just get some of the Uisge Beatha down you and come back with your opinion.

Greenglen mentioned ...

I'm not much of a drinker besides beer; the names that you've mentioned -- are they different brands of Scotch? I've had Scotch a few times but I don't like the taste at all. It strikes me as having almost a medicinal taste. I'm not much on drinking any hard liquor straight as it is, but when I do I like a Canadian blended whiskey. Otherwise, I prefer mixed drinks like rum and coke or a margarita, but 99% of the time I'll drink beer over anything else. Just personal taste.

If you folks live in Scotland, what sort of beers do you have that are associated with your country?

Cheers.

Bill Velek