D is for Drinking

4/4/16 Scotch update - I've pretty much switched to Lagavulin. Not cheap at over $100 a bottle, but well worth the indulgence. In my opinion, drink good spirits, or don't drink at all.

4/4/15 My main characters, J. Lindsay Calhoun and Megan MacGregor are obviously of Scottish descent, so it makes sense at least one of them would be a Scotch whisky drinker. Right? Of course, the author would have to do a bit of research before choosing just the right Scotch for them, right? Right?

One would think that could be a pleasant job, save for a tiny little issue. I got horribly sick on Chivas Regal during a college night out. It took me almost 40 years to give this drink another try, and then only at the behest of my hero who simply insisted.

It turns out I have rather a fond taste for smoky liquors and the peaty single malt Scotches from Islay suited me just fine. I soon had a bottle of Laphroaig in my own cabinet. (Although yesterday I tried Ardveg and decided I might like it better.) I also decided the law firm of Calhoun and Sons would serve their clients a Highland single malt Scotch called The Dalmore. I chose it because the stag on the label is very similar to the Calhoun clan crest. I also don't like it, and neither do I like Lindsay's father, Daniel Calhoun, the head of the law firm who favors this Scotch. It gave me one more reason to villainize him.

As to the heroine, she really doesn't much care for Scotch at all, except perhaps Drambuie, an herbal variation made with heather honey, which she uses strictly for medicinal reasons. It's quite lovely in herbal tea. You should give that a try.

Do you go to such research lengths when deciding details for your own characters? I find it's half the fun of writing. What's more to say? Except perhaps Sláinte.