Drink & Drive: Part 2: Cheers to Good Health!

Damn! Almost a month without a blog update! Sorry folks, got so caught up with the move and 1001 items on my wife's checklist didnt help in any way free up time to blog.

There is an Irish Proverb : "What whisky will not cure, there is no cure for". Here are 5 more reasons to consume the water of life.

#6: Nasal Congestion

Try this. Open a bottle of phenolic islay malt. Take a deep, deep breath and inhale the whisky or take a sip neat. It's perfect for clearing the tubes. If you cannot smell an Ardbeg, Lagavulin or a Laphroaig, you are probably dead!

My recommendation: Ardbeg 10 yo - phew! Wait till you get a whiff of it!!!

Bottled in the 1850s, this is among the oldest whiskies ever - 15,000 pounds only!

#7: Disinfectant

You've probably seen this in many westerns, how the hero or the villain gets shot and douses his wound with whisky before taking out the bullet with a knife. Believe it or not, they're on to something.

The alcohol in the whisky breaks open harmful bacterial cells and kills them, effectively sterilising the wound. But there's a catch — the alcohol needs to be at least 60 percent proof. Anything of lesser strength, like beer or wine, won't be strong enough to stop the bacteria in its tracks. Hah! - Whisky 3, wine 0 !

My recommendation: Aberlour Abunadh (any batch) - just remember that the whisky has to be overproof to effectively sterilize wounds

#8: Reduced risk in Type II diabetes, stroke cases

This is closely related to fact #1 in the first part of this article. The idea that moderate drinking protects against cardiovascular disease makes sense biologically and scientifically.

Moderate amounts of alcohol raise levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good" cholesterol), and higher HDL levels are associated with greater protection against heart disease.

Moderate alcohol consumption has also been linked with beneficial changes ranging from better sensitivity to insulin to improvements in factors that influence blood clotting.

Such changes would tend to prevent the formation of small blood clots that can block arteries in the heart, neck, and brain, the ultimate cause of many heart attacks and the most common kind of stroke.

My recommendation: Auchentoshan 3 wood - easy to drink, mellow malt that can be introduced to diabetics and stroke patients !!!

Another oldie - distilled in 1937, bottled in 2001 - that's a 61yo dram, wow! - will set you back 16,500 pounds

#9: Anti-freeze cure

This is interesting. I read an article that a lady accidentally drank some anti-freeze. Now anti freeze really can damn well near kill you. The potential is that it causes kidney failure and can cause seizures, and the methanol can cause blindness. But you've guessed it. The antidote is whisky! Nope, wine will just not do! Whisky 4, wine 0 - if you're still keeping tabs.

So if you find yourself foolish enough to ingest some anti-freeze, get the whisky out and down a couple of glasses ASAP, else you're gonna kick the bucket.

My recommendation: Ardbeg 10yo - one of the most potent single malts i know, if anything's gonna save you from anti-freeze, this would be the one!

#10: The ultimate cure for loneliness

Well, if you're done and out, feeling blue, no one around and you're just lying on the couch, flipping through all those channels while in a daze, this one's for you.

GET UP, PUT SOMETHING DECENT ON, MAKE YOUR WAY TO A PUB. Have a few shots, relax, look around, flash a smile and you'll probably get a few smiles in return. Say hello and take it from there. Loneliness begone! Additionally with single malt, you'd probably get questions about why its different from the blended spirits. Thats when you take a stiff one and share your wisdom. Chances are, you'll impress someone and you'll be in good company late into the night.

Beats lying on a couch and playing with your ding a ling, doesn't it!!!

My recommendation: Bushmills 12 yo - not exactly a scotch but it being the oldest whisky distillery in the world and its rich history will have you running your mouth till the cows come home!