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Three Whiskeys for Watching the Solar Eclipse

The solar eclipse is coming. Here's what you should be drinking as the sun slips behind the moon.
  • Margarett Waterbury is a whiskey enthusiast and industry expert.
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We’re in the final countdown for the 2017 solar eclipse, which takes place on Monday, August 21st. The path of totality crosses Oregon smack dab in the middle, which means we’re gearing up for a massive influx of visitors, epic traffic, and crazy crowding by stocking up on essentials like gasoline, food, and (duh) whiskey.

Most people don’t get many chances in life to experience a total solar eclipse, so we’ve put some thought into selecting a sufficiently special whiskey to toast the occasion. Here are three ideas, each linked somehow—some way—to the unexpected darkness that will race across the nation next week.

image via NASA

Ardbeg Dark Cove

Marketed as “the darkest Ardbeg ever,” this committee release from 2016 is described as having notes of “treacle toffee, coal tar, squid ink, noodles, and toasted coffee grounds.” What better way to celebrate the darkening of the sky than with a shadowy pour of the only whisky I’ve ever heard being described as tasting like “squid ink?”

There’s something fitting about drinking moonshine while the moon takes the shine out of the sun. Technically, moonshine needs to be made illicitly to warrant the name, but we’re willing to overlook that quibble for Buffalo Trace‘s unaged White Dog, which we suspect is just as above-board as all the other whiskeys made at the Sazerac-owned distillery. There are three different White Dog expressions to choose from: Wheated mash, rye mash, and something called Mash #1, which Buffalo Trace describes as having “a sweet aroma.”

Yamazaki 18-year-old

There’s no link to moons, darkness, or outer space here – just a damn delicious whisky, and one that—like eclipses—can be infrequently available and cause crowds when it does surface. The 18-year-old Yamazaki single malt has been recognized with many awards, including double gold at San Francisco and Gold at the International Spirits Challenge, and fans love its resinous, fruity flavor. There’s no getting around the fact that it’s also quite expensive—but hey, you don’t get many chances at this.

Margarett Waterbury

Margarett Waterbury is the author of "Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland's Whiskies" and a full-time freelance writer and editor specializing in the beverage industry. Her work has graced the pages of numerous publications, including Whisky Advocate, Food and Wine, Spirited Magazine, Artisan Spirit, Edible Seattle, Sip Northwest, Civil Eats, Travel Oregon, and many others. She also boasts editorial experience as the former managing editor of Edible Portland and as a co-founder and former managing editor of The Whiskey Wash. In recognition of her talent, Margarett received the Alan Lodge Young Drinks Writer of the Year award in 2017 and was awarded fellowships for the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers in 2017 and 2019.

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