Newsdesk: no, you can't

• There are many noble Scottish traditions - St Andrews Day, the Edinburgh Festival, for example, and it's important not to forget drinking. Whether it's three litres of cheap cider in a supermarket carpark or an expensive single malt in an upmarket bar, we're much better at it north of the border. But the current Scottish Government - the Scottish Nationalist Party, no less - are set on introducing a flotilla of measures aimed at combating the nation's, uh, complicated relationship with the bottle. Funnily enough, not everybody is impressed.
  
• Joining the entirety of Scotland in the problem-drinker club this week - members of the world's orchestras. C'mon in boys, there's beer for everyone!
• Bad news for anyone planning on releasing a whisky in 2009, as Whisky Magazine name their Icons of Whisky for 2009 while I try to include the words "whisky" and "2009" as many times as I can in one sentence without it sounding weird
• Things the internet is already aware of: Gary Regan asks Obama can we haz metric? - Paul Clarke on moonshiners - Eric Felten on sibling rivalry in the world of liqueurs.

Newsdesk: you'd be amazed at what we can do

When it first came to prominence, whisky was thought to be the water of life. It's been a while since then, but it's still proving to be transformative.

• It can be arty, if you're willing to face a little price rise and a bit of criticism. It can be misspelt and as easily misunderstood. According to some Australians, it can even be hangover-free.
• In binge drinking news, new research suggests that it's a coping mechanism adopted back in Viking times and officially not our fault. Other research estimates 1,500 Scots will gain no comfort from the news, having died from alcohol abuse.
• Time for a success story in tough times: Britain's microbreweries get some love from the Guardian. They're not the only sector in growth, either - there's Hong Kong's roaring wine trade, too.
• If you're anything like me, you'd have spent the Oscars asleep. If you're not, you could have tried Gourmet's themed cocktails, or maybe spent a little more than you'd planned.

Quality of vodka is directly proportional to level celebrity endorsement; discuss?

(Via Dowd's Spirits Notebook.)

Does MxMo allow write-ins?

This totally qualifies for this month's Mixology Monday - are we allowed to nominate?

In Which Georgia Gives You The McNuggetini (via MeFi)

Newsdesk: ring-a-ding-ding

This week, Newsdesk is wondering what it has to do to get some get a lucrative vodka endorsement.

• There may be an economic crisis on, but it looks like the fear is yet to affect at least two areas of life: hip-hop and ultra-premium vodka. After all, if you were shy of cash you'd get towards thinking that Diddy doesn't need 50% of your US profits, which suggests that the folk at Ciroc are pretty flush right now.
• Which is more than can be said for, say, Utah given that the Beehive State are looking towards alcohol sales to give the local economy a shot in the arm.
• Which is more than cab be said for the residents of Niger State, given that selling alcohol may well get you arrested.

• There are - in the UK, at least - fairly specific guidelines about how you can sell booze in TV commercials. The Guardian takes a look at Guinness' foray into new, sexier territory in their latest ads.

  (The video above isn't the one they're talking about.)

• Fears are being raised about a new product that can tell new mothers if they've taken in too much alcohol to breastfeed safely. If the kids are getting started drinking early, we're going to need more livers.
• From Gary Regan's Ardent Spirits Newsletter: theBarkeeper.com - devoted to the on-premise drink industry.