Scotch whisky song

by **Jon Barleycorn** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:55 am

Here's something to sing at your next single malt tasting session. It's called "Goin' Through the Malt" and goes to the tune of "Comin' Through the Rye".
Lift up your glass and join lustily in the chorus!

O Macallan, good Macallan, tastes of sherry wine,
I could drink it by the gallon, it's so smooth and fine.

CHORUS:
How I love my dram of whisky, and I think it no fault,
That ev'ry night I'm at the bar a-goin' through the malt.

O Glenlivet, good Glenlivet, fruity, light and sweet,
I will take it if you give it, and I'll drink it neat. (CHORUS)

Lagavulin, Lagavulin, smoky and complex,
I adore it (I'm not foolin') almost more than sex. (CHORUS)

Cragganmore, O Cragganmore, a whisky of renown,
I could drink a flagon more, but that would knock me down. (CHORUS)

Auchentoshan, Auchentoshan, pride of Glasgow town,
Fill my glass if you've a notion, I'll not turn it down. (CHORUS)

Tobermory, Tobermory, from the isle of Mull,
Ev'ry swallow tells a story, nutty, sweet and full. (CHORUS)

Highland Park, O Highland Park from Orkney is a treat,
And it bears the island's mark of heather and of peat. (CHORUS)

O Laphroaig, the great Laphroaig, the Islay malt sublime,
Though it's worthy of my song, it's bloody hard to rhyme. (CHORUS)

Johnnie Walker, Johnnie Walker, here's a toast to you,
When I'm poor I drink Red Label, someday I'll drink Blue. (CHORUS)

Well, that's all I have so far. Any of you creative types want to come up with some more verses?

Cheers,

Jon

by **Jon Barleycorn** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 3:22 am

Oh well - looks like you all would rather drink single malts than sing about them. :roll:

Guess I won't hold my breath waiting for someone to find a rhyme for Glenmorangie.

by **Aidan** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:33 am

I'd love to help you, Jon, but I'm better at listening to music than writing it.

by **Deactivated Member** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 10:36 pm

If you're wanting a drink that tastes orangey,
Then you likely don't want a Glenmorangie.

(Doesn't fit your song; just wanted to show it could be done.)

by **Jon Barleycorn** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 5:28 am

Thanks for the tip - I never really knew how to pronounce Glenmorangie anyway. What can you do with Old Pulteney?
As it happens, I drove past Springfield on I-91 last Sunday night on my way to New Haven, where I sampled nine different single malts with my friends there (and fortunately got to spend the night!) We sang "Goin' Through the Malt" in a thoroughly whiskey-soaked manner.

by **Deactivated Member** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 4:25 am

There once was a fellow from Pulteney
Who...uh.... :oops:

I take it you are north of here, then--how far? (FTR, I was in Halifax, NS Sunday.)

by **MGillespie** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 4:40 am

Tell you what, Jon...record yourself and some buddies singing it at the pub, and I'll play it on WhiskyCast.

Mark

by **irishwhiskeychaser** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:27 am

if you mess around with the pronounciation of Chutney ..... it goes well with .............. sandwiches :lol:

by **Jon Barleycorn** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 5:15 am

Actually, Mr. T., I live in Baltimore, but was on my way back from western Massachussetts (long story). Don't know when I'll be back that way, but would like to meet for a dram or two when I do.
It would be fun to record the whisky song for WhiskyCast - just have to get enough good singers together (and single malts). Sounds like an excuse for a party!

by **Reggaeblues** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 3:03 pm

Greetings whisky lovers, and thanks for all the entertaining topics. I'm new here. As a musician whose style is reflected in my name, i always judge the establishment which has booked me by the quality of its whiskies. First step at any gig is to set up the gear. Second step...cast a beady eye along the bottles on the shelf...

My musical tastebuds have been fired by this invite to add verses to this song, so here goes:

Talisker , oh Talisker! so worthy of an ode!
for when you roll across my toungue my tastebuds do explode.

Bunnahabhain, bunnahabhain, gentle as you go!
A dram of you and to islay i shall be Westering Ho!

Ardbeg, bracing Ardbeg! A taste trip for this spliffer!
some say "Yuk! Too medicinal!" But me, Ardbeg to differ...

and finally(for the moment?)

Aberlour, sweet A'bunadh, how rich your ruby nectar.
If there's a dram sweeter than you, I'll change my name to Hector!

Irie!

by **Jon Barleycorn** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 3:27 pm

Wow, that's great, RB! Thanks for posting, and welcome to the forum. (from another newcomer) I think that not having to find a rhyme for the single malt itself will really open up the possibilities here - so I may go that route for future verses.
I'm a performing musician myself - mostly as a bassist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, though I play and enjoy many other genres of music, including some typically heard in bars. My only bar "gig" was with a ragtag semi-Celtic group called Tenpenny Bit back around 1980. We played a couple sets in a Winnipeg pub for free beer.
So - what exactly is a "spliffer", anyway?

by **Reggaeblues** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 4:32 pm

A spliffer? Perhaps as a musician i should have avoided controversy and said "riffer"!! i don't know whether the orchestral discipline attracts many spliffers, but in the reggae world we are numerous. Bob Marley sings about it: "'Scuse me while i light my spliff..."or, as Peter Tosh said: "Legalise it, and I man will advertise it!"javascript:emoticon('8)')

In fact, there are those as picky and knowledgeable about the different regions, colour, nose and "flavour" profile of "spliff" as we "whisky bores", as my Lucie calls us, are about our beloved nectar.

in the meantime:

some people say that Speysiders are common and too many,
but i proclaim as outstanding the single cask Balvenie!

"Glenfiddich is for wimps and women!" Is this crit deserved?
I thought so too until I tried the Solera Reserve...

Irie!

by **Reggaeblues** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 4:46 pm

True confessions of a hopeless romantic...

"Bowmore! Bowmore! How your fragrance tittilates my soul!
I must confess I've fallen for a seventeen year old..."

Help!

by **Deactivated Member** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 5:32 pm

Bulleit bourbon's really gnarly, here's mud in your eye;
I can't taste the corn or barley, coming through the rye.

by **Jon Barleycorn** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 10:05 pm

That's the stuff - keep 'em coming!

How about:

Pulteney, Old Pulteney, a Highland malt with class,
You wouldn't be insultin' me by off'ring me a glass.

(Hmm...yet another verse about cadging a drink. Don't be getting any ideas about me! )
And, for the non-spliffers among us:

Ardbeg is a noble dram that's pleasing to my sniffer,
Some say "too medicinal" but me, Ardbeg to differ.

I like the Balvenie verse - although I understand it's sometimes pronounced
to rhyme with "meany"

by **Reggaeblues** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 1:14 am

I'll go with "sniffer". Much better!

...and since you mention it:

"You can finish all my Bell's! Forgive me, i'm a meany
...when it comes to parting with a drop of single cask Balvenie."

Just in from a gig . the one malt they had strangely enough, was a 10 y.o. Balvenie!! Portions so small, "meany" is really apt.

Maybe " meany " should enter official whiskyspeak, to signify a dram too small.

reminds me of this great advertisemant i once saw for Glenlivet:

Black and white photo of two gnarly old scotsmen sitting in
a distillery with a bottle of Glenlivet and 2 glasses. looking very dour.

The caption says " The english tell us we have to serve our beloved glenlivet in 25 ml portions. you know what we think of the English."

Time for a bedtime dram...

Irie!

by **Jon Barleycorn** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 4:25 pm

So now we have balVENNY and balVEENY covered. Maybe I can get my brother to stop calling it BALvinny.
I did forget to mention a regular Saturday night bar gig I had during my last couple years of college. I played piano with a sort-of-Dixieland band at a place called The Red Garter in Chicago. The only thing I had to drink there was Schlitz, which at the time I thought was actual beer. The lead banjo player spliffed voraciously between sets, but I was too young and innocent to indulge. Closing time was 2 am, after which came an hour's subway ride home, while I see that Reggaeblues was back from his gig and at his computer a little after midnight. Much more civilized!

by **Reggaeblues** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:32 pm

Definitely JB!

Hey! you share the initials of a "leading blend!"

Am currently sipping a limited edition "Argyll" malt - a Hazleburn 8 yr old produced i think they said at Springbank. 58,8% +a dash of H2O.

Something about its profile reminds me of something i read about( as yet untried by yours truly)its cousin Longrow...

Which led to this:

"The aroma of wet sheep" one taster has described Longrow.
Well how the hell would he know that?! That's what I'd like to know!"

sorry, maybe you have to be Welsh to understand...

They say the Welsh word for love is ..."baaaaa..."

Excuse me...

...back to the Hazleburn. "Mmmm! wet sheep!!"

Irie! Reggaeblues.

by **Reggaeblues** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:32 pm

Definitely JB!

Hey! you share the initials of a "leading blend!"

Am currently sipping a limited edition "Argyll" malt - a Hazleburn 8 yr old produced i think they said at Springbank. 58,8% +a dash of H2O.

Something about its profile reminds me of something i read about( as yet untried by yours truly)its cousin Longrow...

Which led to this:

"The aroma of wet sheep" one taster has described Longrow.
Well how the hell would he know that?! That's what I'd like to know!"

sorry, maybe you have to be Welsh to understand...

They say the Welsh word for love is ..."baaaaa..."

Excuse me...

...back to the Hazleburn. "Mmmm! wet sheep!!"

Irie! Reggaeblues.