And that is another aspect of whisky s appeal. Beer can also be safe treyf in that there are few restrictions on its consumption under Jewish law. Beer, however, is mass-market and lowbrow. It s what you drink sprawled in front of the TV or belly up to the neighborhood bar. A shot of single malt, by contrast, can cost as much as a case of beer.
Good whisky is enjoyed in small sips.
It has complicated flavors and heady aromas. Lowland, Eastern Highland, Speyside, Campbeltown. They can compare aromatics or volatiles, and debate whether the cask was coopered out of French, Spanish, or American oak. Such connoisseurship honors the Chosen People s traditional tendency to make fine distinctions and to set themselves apart from the majority. With apologies to Lenny Bruce, I suggest that whisky is Jewish and beer is goyish.