Curling season is almost upon us, and I’m planning to be back on the ice after a couple of seasons away. Which raises my perennial quest for a Locker Bottle. A Locker Bottle is a whiskey that’s good enough that I enjoy sipping it neat after a game but inexpensive enough that I won’t mind whatever my teammates and opponents do with it as the bottle is passed around. Like, I’m not sharing a favorite Ardbeg or other single malt if folks are gonna pour it over ice into a Coca-Cola, as folks in Wisconsin are apt to do, but I do want to share something good enough to satisfy a neat-sipper. Blended malts like Shackleton are often a Locker Bottle for me, but I’ve spent time with various Dewar’s, Buffalo Trace, or Bushmill’s bottles filling the job. I don’t currently have one in mind, but I’ve got a month to find one for the upcoming season.

Posted by Scott Rogers at 2026-09-14 20:09:46 UTC