Upon rejecting the offer of a cocktail menu at a Yaletown watering hole recently and instead each requesting a glass of Talisker, neat, these two Whiskey Chicks received a look replete with disbelief and intrigue from the bartender.

“Sorry,” he said, “I was just surprised. It’s refreshing to have a couple of women come in and order something other than a vodka soda or a Cosmo.”

Far from the first time we have received this response, we’re commonly faced with raised eyebrows and a look of surprise from both men and women when ordering our tipple of choice. And while we certainly don’t aim to shock with our taste preference, we’re okay with not fitting a stereotype—particularly one that emerged in the late 90’s courtesy of the Cosmopolitan-swilling ladies of Sex in the City (which, nonetheless, will forever be a show close to our hearts and never far from our DVD players).

But when exactly did scotch become “a man’s drink”? This recent article in Esquire references several historical events and movements involving whisky, with women at the forefront. Yet sometime between women calling the shots during prohibition and the modern day, scotch became a measure of manliness.

Even if you are a woman (or a man, for that matter) who does enjoy the occasional fruity beverage with an equally fruity name—Flirtini anyone?—there’s no reason to shy away from a bold, peaty monster of a scotch. Or perhaps your palate is tempted by something lighter and more floral.

That’s one reason why we love the amber nectar so much—the wide range and depth of flavour profiles offers endless opportunities to discover something new and deliciously enticing, and also means there’s likely a scotch out there with just the right notes to delight those with even the most discerning of tastes. And it doesn’t hurt that even if you happen to indulge in more than an ounce or two, you aren’t faced with quite the same drunken affect as with other liquors and rarely will you have a hangover afterwards…

#YouStayClassySanDiego

 Besides, let’s be honest, there’s something just plain sexy about a glass of scotch. The smooth texture—heavy and viscous, but not syrupy—the rich amber colour, the immediate warmth that spreads through your body as you roll it over your tongue and it trickles down your throat. There’s an air of romance around it. It’s a drink that insists that you slow down, that you savour it. We like it for its attention-seeking boldness—the way it asks you to be aware of it with each sip, and consider it.

This anthropomorphization of whisky made us laugh:

Whisky doesn’t care. That’s what makes it cool. The only other liquor that’s anywhere near as cool is Tequila. But Tequila’s always been too crazy to really be cool. Tequila will cut you for looking at its woman, then laugh while the cops drag it off to jail, and spit at you during the trial. And trust me you don’t want to pick on Vodka either. Dude doesn’t have much of a personality, but I swear he goes to the gym twice a day. You want the nerd of the liquor crew? Try Gin. You can give Gin an atomic wedgie and the worst it’ll do is scream that his daddy will have you banned from the yacht club. (source)

I mean…it’s kind of true. And that’s not to say that you’ll never find us tossing back a tequila shot (or two, or three…), or a vodka-something-or-other. But we have a true love affair with good scotch that only continues to grow stronger every day. And this is one love affair that won’t end up with any broken hearts.