International Scotch Day was a few weeks ago but do you really need an excuse to enjoy Scotch? While I enjoy Scotch neat or on the rocks, I'm impressed with the trend of Scotch cocktails that has been emerging recently. Some good stuff can be made with a well-done little goldie, and the Johnnie Walker brand has both a red and a black label that’ll do the trick. Here’s some mixes you should try to celebrate the fact that there’s an International Scotch Day.

Happy Scotch Day everybody! Even though Scotch is better known as a sipping spirit, it's exciting to see more and more mixologists breaking with convention and creating new experiences for our pallets like this Tartan Collins by Jordan Felix of Portland, Oregon featuring Laphroaig Select.

Everyone should have a neighborhood bar. It's one of those places that can be a home away from home where the bartenders welcome you warmly when you enter the door and you feel comfortable before you even have a chance to order a drink. That's what San Diego's The Whiskey House is to me, so when I got the opportunity to join them for a Glenfiddich tasting a few weeks ago I jumped at the opportunity. Then I discovered that they were opening a $4,000 bottle of Glenfiddich 40 year and I cleared my schedule for the rest of the evening!

Why should island-hopping be confined to the Greek or even Caribbean Islands, when Scotland, one of the world's great destinations for adventure, has such beautiful isles?

The more remote the island, the more beautiful the landscape, and this year Wilderness Scotland introduces a trio of wild island-hopping adventures that would be difficult to do without the tour operator's expertise.

The new journeys include exploring the four islands which hug the western coastline off the beautiful Argyll Peninsula; a journey to the little-known southern Hebrides including the abandoned island of Mingulay; and a new road cycling trip, ideal for virgin cycle tourers, that explores the Inner Hebridean islands of Arran, Jura and whisky-soaked Islay. A highlight of two of the trips is a voyage to the spectacular Corryvreckan whirlpool – the third largest in the world.

Some love Laphroaig as the flag bearer for Islay Single Malt Scotches because they love the peaty, smokey, almost overpowering flavor profile and other's don't. But this is certainly a unique manly spirit that I like to celebrate as part of my personal collection. The folks at Laphroaig know that I have been a long time fan of the various releases (especially the Laphroaig Triple Wood released last year) so they shared their latest with me as well, Laphroaig Select!

Is the fall chill catching up with you? Why not try this recipe that Laphroaig sent us for a Scot’s Cider.

Ingredients:

1. 1 part Laphroaig® 10-Year-Old Scotch Whisky
2. ½ part DeKuyper® Mixologist Series Ginger Liqueur
3. 3 parts Hot Apple Cider

Method:

Build in a pre-heated coffee mug.

Garnish with a lemon wedge studded with cloves and a dash of fresh ground cinnamon

Laphroaig is one of those spirits that polarizes anyone who takes a sip - some LOVE the peaty taste that is the signature for Islay Scotches, others are repulsed by it.

Regardless of what camp you are in, Laphroaig is a scotch that will separate the men from the boys. To be completely honest I was in the "I'll pass" category but after sampling Laphroaig Triple Wood with some friends last week I am reassessing that!