You know what would go with this?

Ah what whisky to have right now? Always a good question, and never really a bad answer. But, there are certain whiskies that lend themselves to certain times of day, or the year, certain experiences, or even meals.
I’m not ready to go down the whisky pairing route. There are whisky experts (and gourmet chefs) doing great work in the development of pairing specific whiskies with specific meals. Many distilleries now offer four course meals to their visitors, complete with an expertly paired whisky for each course. And there are chefs who are starting to develop delicious, elaborate, gourmet dishes with whisky as a key ingredient (which would be my favorite episode of “Iron Chef” ever).
No, what I’m thinking about are specific whiskies for specific occasions:

• The outdoor barbecue dram – I’d go with something lighter for this one, probably a Glenkinchie 10 year old. A nice Japanese Whisky, like Yamazaki, would also go well here, and would be a good conversation starter.
• Tailgate flask – let’s go with the late fall version of a tailgate here. Crisp, fall day, waiting to go into the stadium – this is the time for Highland Park 12 year old. Honorable mention: Bowmore.
• Golf course – if you don’t bring your own, and you're asking the cart girl, pick the Dewar’s over the Red Label, and add a lot of ice. If you’re bringing your own, one of the lighter Glenmorangies, like a Nectar D’Or or the original is the way to go.
• 19th hole – you cracked 100. Well done. If the clubhouse has a single malt, it’s probably Glenlivet. Enjoy it.
• Dessert (restaurant) – Lagavulin 16. Shut the dessert menu briskly. Hand it back to the waiter. When he asks, tell him you want it neat. Try not to laugh. You’ll be smiling soon enough.
• Dessert (home) – you have time to kick back and savor the flavor. Pour a Jura or Dalmore here.
• The evening, crackling fire – something beefy and a little smoky. How about we say Oban, here? Scapa’s always a nice option in this spot as well.
• Showing friends your whisky collection – give them an Ardbeg
• Someone likes the peatiness of the Ardbeg? Show them the Laphroaig Quarter Cask, or better yet, the Compass Box Peat Monster.
• Christmas whisky – A few come to mind for this special occasion. I mentioned in my last posting that Arran had a Christmas pudding nose, so that’s certainly a possibility. But two others stand out as truly special for a special day – the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban and Macallan 18.
• Wetting the baby’s head – A nice tradition of having a dram to toast your newborn baby. In my case, I chose the Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist for both of my kids. I still have a bit of my son’s bottle left! But just choose your own memory here.

So, did I miss any occasions? Was I way off on any of my recommendations? Let me know . . .