Drambuie The Isle of Skye Liqueur

Drambuie binds Scotch whisky to heather honey, herbs and spices, and its story binds to Scottish history: the recipe is said to have passed to the MacKinnons of Skye from Bonnie Prince Charlie's apothecary after the failed rising of 1745, kept in the family and bottled commercially from the early twentieth century. It sits at 40%, honeyed and warm.

The nose is heather honey, dried fruit and warm spice over a fine whisky depth, the palate rich and smooth with nutmeg and cinnamon. Behind the bar it is a honeyed sweetener with built in whisky character, which is why it makes the Rusty Nail, where it rounds and lengthens a glass of Scotch without watering it down, and it lifts a hot toddy or a whisky sour just as well. Sip it neat by the fire or long over ice.