It’s that time of year. We look back on what a dumpster fire the last 365ish days have been and try to sieve out some gold from the muck. As usual, the rating rubric makes no real sense and, like Who’s Line Is It Anyway?, the points don’t matter.
Book of the Year: Sadly I did not get around to reading as much this year as I would have liked. The best cocktail-related book I read in 2017 was Proof: The Science of Booze, by Adam Rogers. It detailed the scientific processes behind the creation of our favorite boozy beverages in a down-to-earth manner that was easy to understand yet incredibly fascinating. Well done, Adam Rogers, on this prestigious prize.
Videogame of the Year: There were some amazing games that came out in 2017. Horizon Zero Dawn was pure joy, for example. It created a world that I wanted to immerse myself in. Football Manager 18 reminded me how bad Manchester United are, but it’s still enjoyable.
But the winner isn’t any of those. The winner is … Mass Effect: Andromeda!! Just kidding. That game was shit, sadly.
The real winner is The Witcher 3! “But Mik, that game was released in 2015!” I hear you cry. Shut up. It was the best game I played in 2017 so it wins. My awards, my rules.
Cocktail of the Year: 2017 was a year where I started to broaden my horizons. I dipped my toes into the wonderful, smokey, world of mezcal. I found a scotch I liked! The Balvenie’s Caribbean Cask is wonderful. But for me what I explored the most in 2017 was the diversity of the bitters scene. Chocolate mole bitters, celery bitters, tiki bitters, all made it into my collection. But the most fascinating bitters I encountered also made the best drink of 2017 for me. Bittermens’ Hellfire Habanero Shrub. Such spicy! Much flavorful. The drink is the Albuquerque Old Fashioned. It’s a wonderful combination of whiskey, sugar, and three different kinds of bitters. The star is obviously the Habanero Shrub. It brings a wonderful slow burn to the drink that just elongates the finish. 13/10 would drink again.
Best Barware of the Year: The OXO 2oz Angled Measuring Jigger. Get yourself one of these. Or three, like I did. You won’t regret it.
Scotch of the Year: I do not drink much scotch, so I will let my compatriot Evan, a scotch fanatic, give out this award. “Ardbeg An Oa. Ardbeg’s attempt to diversify their traditionally peat-foreard portfolio is a big success. In turns briny, sweet, gently smoky, rich malt, with hints of sherry and white wine.”
Whiskey of the Year: This year I’ve had some fantastic whiskeys. Whistlepig 10 Year rye, Whistlepig Old World, The Balvenie Caribbean Cask, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (which won a more popular but less prestigious award from Whiskey Advocate), Angel’s Envy Rye (finished in rum barrels), Michter’s American Whiskey, Michter’s Bourbon, all were tried and enjoyed this year. All were truly delicious. But none come close to garnering this award.
The 2017 Miksologist Best Whiskey award goes to ….. Whiskey! He’s a Good Dog.
I hope everyone managed to salvage some fun times in 2017. Here’s hoping 2018 is a great one!
Cheers
The Miksologist 