Very excited to stop by this event, for a few reasons, not the least of which is that they’re serving single malt Scotch, or the fact that attendees get 15% merchandise.

Anyone else going to join? Let me know below, or hit me up on Twitter the day of.

Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows that I’m a Scotch drinker. I can’t help myself. Call me old fashioned, but give me a glass of single malt and a book, and I’m set for the day.

Which is why I jumped at the invite I received to attend a tasting for The Macallan. I had tried The Macallan on previous occasions, and had very much enjoyed it, so I figured it would be a good time. What I wasn’t expecting was to be so impressed with the company itself.

Our presenter (a man whose name I forget, but he was genuinely Scottish, and genuinely hilarious), went out of his way to tell us about an ongoing collaboration the company has with Charity:Water. We even watched a video about the need for clean water in the developing world – at a Scotch tasting! Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. You know how much I love Do-Gooders.

If you’ve got thousands of dollars to spare, check out the promotion Charity:Water and The Macallan are doing right now. They’re auctioning off a very rare bottle of 64-year-old Scotch (pictured above) to fund clean water projects around the world. As the presenter said, those of us who can afford to drink the finest spirits in the world can afford to help others at least get clean water.

You know what else was great? The drinks. We got to sample a 10-year-old, 12-year-old, 17-year-old, and 18-year-old, and I was happy with all of them. If I had to pick one, I’d drink the 18, but the 12 was surprisingly smooth and the 17 had a nice oaky flavor to it. The quality of their offerings combined with the company’s philanthropy have made me seriously consider switching to them full-time.

Because, as our presenter pointed out, since they give so much of their profits to philanthropic causes, when you drink Macallan, “you do it for the kids.”

I used to spend a lot more time on this blog talking about things. It was fun, but I found myself spending 90% of my time doing it, since I was constantly finding cool stuff. And I wanted to make this blog about something more substantive than just products.

But I’m still finding a lot of cool stuff that I’d like to share, so I wanted to find a way to do so somewhat regularly. Enter Material Mondays, where I share a list of the cool stuff I’ve found that week. Simple as that.

This week’s list starts with the chinos you see above from Scotch & Soda. The ribbed cuff on those help them stand out from the crowd.

Speaking of scotch, I’m dying to try Glenmorangie’s new Finealta, with added peat to give it a more smokey flavor than most Glenmorangies. But it’s currently only available in international travel retail. Anyone going out of the country soon want to pick me up a bottle?

For Miles, I’m giving consideration to the Woogie, a protective case and interactive toy for the iPhone. He’s obsessed with playing with our phones, but throws them when he gets upset. Not so good. So something like this might help keep them protected a little more.

Speaking of things Miles likes to play with, check out the new line of neckties from Berg & Berg. I’m leaning towards a new wool or knit one. Perfect for fall, just like the Authentic Original 7-Eye Boots from Sperry Topsider below.

If you’re a boat shoe fan like me during the summer, these are a nice, seasonally appropriate alternative.

I am absolutely loving these bicycle bags from Linus. Versatile and sturdy, throw them over your shoulder or over your bike, and you’re good to go. This is a nice addition to Linus’s already impressive (and wallet-friendly) line of bikes.

Speaking of names of Peanut characters, Moleskine notebook fans will love these limited edition Peanut inspired notebooks to write about “good grief.”

And last but not least, from DaddyTypes I heard about this perpetually convertible loft bed structure from Pop Space. It would be an amazing way to make a room feel new again. Sadly it’s the one thing on this list that we’ll definitely not be buying any time soon, due to the price tag of over $5,000. (Sad trombone.)

What about you? Seen anything cool lately that I missed?

If my mind were a song, it would be “Spanish Key” by Miles Davis, on the album Bitches Brew. I’ve been listening to that album almost nonstop over the past week, in honor of the 40th anniversary of its release.

Craft beer maker Dogfish Head decided to honor it in its own way by creating their own Bitches Brew. Frankly, I’m surprised it took someone 40 years to make that jump.

You can read more about it at the Dogfish Head website. Planning to try some myself, but if someone gets to it first, drop me a line and let me know how it is. [via Selectism]

Just a short hour drive outside the city of Chicago lies a magical city called Fox Lake. In this city is little bakery called (cacao) Sweets & Treats. What is so special about this place? Hard liquor-flavored cupcakes, that’s what.

Ranging from Guiness Stout cupcakes, to Mike’s Hard Lemonade Spiked cupcakes, to other beer and wine assorted varieties, these babies are worth a trip up to Fox Lake. Any takers?

Not in the Chicago area? Fear not. Their Etsy store ships. They’ll even bake your favorite beer into a cupcake if it’s not on the list.

Are you ever on the way out with friends to a new place, but your desperately craving your particular brand of brew? Remember the anxiety that came with not knowing if this new place would have it? Fear not, bar crawlers in Chicago, Milwaukee, Philadelphia or New York: BeerMenus has got you covered.

BeerMenus was started by two brothers who wanted to know which places served their favorite beer, and were unsatisfied by their inability to answer that question using only Google. Thanks to them, you can now find 4,481 beers on 87 beer menus in the Chicago area alone.

What’s missing from BeerMenus? An iPhone app. While I appreciate the strides this website has made for beer lovers everywhere, BeerMenus will truly find its value when you can easily find great beer on the go.

Ever wanted to spend an evening learning about how blended Scotch whiskey is made? DEWAR’S will oblige. Fresh from a tour in New York, the DEWAR’S Discovery is heading to Chicago from October 14 to 22.

Someone from DEWAR’S will spend the evening instructing on the subtle art of identifying whiskey aroma and then teach you to blend it yourself. You’ll learn about Scotland and how Scotch is made (with a heavy emphasis on DEWAR’S, of course), while drinking cocktails in a lounge built specifically for the occasion at EnVent.

Not a bad way to spend an evening.

Anyone who spends any significant amount of time with me knows that I’m a scotch drinker. I’m not usually a Glenlivet drinker, but recently I heard that Glenlivet is releasing a new, American-exclusive vintage – the Nàdurra Triumph 1991 – that sounds too damn good: non-chill filtered and bottled at full strength, with hints of apple, pear and wood. Yum.

It’s a limited release, so if you’re at all interested, I’d get it now. [via Material Interest]