Scottish beverages: whisky is the first thing that probably comes to mind. Arguably the best combination of water and barley on the planet. The finesse that Scotland has achieved with whisky is completely absent from the rest of its cuisine, which makes it maybe even more remarkable. Dalwhinnie, the distillery we visited our first week here, is pretty mild. Some of the west-coast malts taste like licking a campfire. This one, Blair Athol, is nicely in the middle. It's full of flavor and has a pretty mellow finish, but enough burn at first to keep you on your toes. It's distilled in Pitlochry, fairly close to Dundee. As an added bonus, there's an otter on the label.
Irn Bru is at the other end of the spectrum entirely. What it lacks in subtlety it makes up for in controversial colorings (colourings), sugar, and ammonium feric citrate. 'Brewed' in Cumbernauld, it's apparently really popular, only recently slipping behind Coca Cola in sales. It smells a little like bubblegum, almost glows orange, and feels like it's melting your teeth. The taste is about what you'd expect. It's banned in the US due to one of its coloring agents, but if you see it give it a try. Sean Connery likes it, and he's done ok for himself.
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