In the spirit

Johnnie Walker Gold

By Jeffrey Schulman

When I have a special reason to bring a bottle of scotch to shul for a Shabbat l’chaim, I consider a number of factors.

First, most importantly, do I like the scotch I’m bringing?

Second, is the scotch something that is at a “reasonable” price point?

And third, is the scotch something that would appeal to a casual drinker, someone who doesn’t think about things like age, peat, smokiness or any of the other things that a whisky snob (like me) talks about incessantly?

These criteria almost always lead me to Johnnie Walker Gold.

Johnnie Walker Gold costs approximately $75-$85 per bottle. That is a good price for a premium shot of scotch. It is, in my opinion, perhaps the perfect scotch to use for a l’chaim: it’s delicious, it has all of the attributes that scotch drinkers like to discuss, but at the same time it is “approachable” for a non-scotch drinker.

It also has an emotional focus for me. It is a blend of 18-year-old scotches, and, of course, 18 signifies life (chai) in numerology.

Finally, as an 18-year-old, it is quite smooth and has a hint of peat that does not overpower your palate. At 80-proof, it doesn’t have the burn that a higher proof, especially a cask-strength whisky, can have. Therefore. it doesn’t have to be watered at all.

I recommend that everyone have a bottle of Johnnie Walker Gold in their liquor cabinet. The next time we’re together, tell me what your go-to bottle of whisky (or whiskey) is for a Shabbat l’chaim, and I’ll be happy to share a schnapps with you. L’Chaim!

Jeffrey Schulman is past-president of the Northern New Jersey Region, and a member of both Highland Park Conservative Temple-CAE and Temple Shalom Men’s Clubs.

Have a special potable to recommend to your FJMC brothers? Please send your In the Spirit write-up to Al Davis at .