An Old Truth About Booze

In September I wrote that my wife, just back from Scotland, wanted to bring back a bottle of Balvenie Doublewood Scotch she had tried on her trip. “It was wonderful”, she exclaimed, “but hard to bring back because it didn’t work in the one liter bag you are allowed for liquids, so it couldn’t come back carried on and therefore it had to travel in her luggage. This would add weight, and in the end her suitcase weighed 48.5 pounds, just a pound and a half below the limit. As well, if it broke in transit, it would have ruined a lot of clothing including a beautiful hand knit sweater she had just purchased for herself. She also had to take it on two planes, one from Edinburgh, Scotland to Newark, NJ, and another from Newark, NJ to Buffalo, NY, giving it another opportunity to break.


The price at the duty-free in Edinburgh was 36 pounds. Translated into dollars it’s about $57. The price on line in the UK from the factory seems to be 29.95 pounds, or about $48. In the US, on line, its $64 delivered. She was concerned that she would not be able to find it at the US border Duty-Free in Niagara Falls or in Canada at the LCBO. As well, if she found it, what would the price be, given the travel costs? However, clear heads won out and she left it in Scotland and hoped to find it here.

On the way back from the airport yesterday we found it at the duty free. The price, $41.

On Saturday night I was asked for a scotch. We had beer and wine available, but all of the booze had been moved to the garage to clear out some room for the party. I went into the garage and the only scotch I could find was the Balvenie, and there was but a bit left in the bottle. Being a gracious host I poured a drink in a glass and brought it to my guest, hoping he wouldn’t ask for more.

Later in the evening he asked my wife for another, and she and a friend went out to the garage. All she could find was a now all but drained bottle of Balvenie and they found a half full bottle of Grant’s scotch, a lesser drink for sure. Our friend, being an old hand at this, took the Grant’s, poured it into the Balvenie bottle and brought it out and put it on the bar. The scotch drinker was pleased, and later on another friend came by and had some himself. Both of them admired the flavor and were pleased with the drink.

So, as the old story goes, always give them the good stuff for the first drink, and later make the switch and no one will ever know!