By DCist Contributor Nathan Wilkinson

For most whisky connoisseurs, scotch isn’t a seasonal drink. When you drink scotch year round like they do, all that is required is switching to lighter tasting lowland malts for the warm summer months.

But drinking scotch in the summer is not for everyone. Even the most restrained blends are packed with flavors of peat and malt that are off-putting to the uninitiated, making scotch the purview of oldsters and snobs who seldom mix anything more than a few drops of water with their whisky. Yet, cocktail books are full of light and summery scotch drinks that demand to be explored, and a trend toward softer and unpeated blends is leading the way.

Barrelhound Scotch Whisky is making its debut in select bars and shops in New York and the District. It belongs to a resurgence of U.K. craft distilling that is happening in tandem with what we are experiencing in the U.S.: younger people are getting acquainted with the spirits that their grandparents enjoyed. But Barrelhound, a product of Chivas Brothers, is being marketed specifically to American bourbon drinkers.

Peter Karras, a Pernod Ricard Master of Scotch, explains the complicated balance that Barrelhound is attempting when entering this market. “It’s not just a modernized blend of scotch whisky, but a bridge into scotch from bourbon,” he says. Whether Barrelhound proves to be the gateway scotch for Millennials, as Karras hopes, is yet to be seen. But after tasting it, I can tell that its strong suit is its unparalleled mixability.

Barrelhound, like most blends, is a mix in itself: partly malted barley and corn, partly aged and unaged spirits all married in American oak casks that impart an unmistakable bourbon-like quality. It carries some of the sherry and honey notes of Chivas Regal without the peatiness. The finish is short and forgettable; however, it gets out of the way and allows for other spirits to shine when mixed in a cocktail. Substitute Barrelhound into any whiskey drink—or a gin or vodka drink for that matter. My advice is to go crazy with it because there are no rules—have fun experimenting. I have since gone to several D.C. bars that serve Barrelhound in an attempt to make gateway scotch cocktails suitable for summer drinking.

I found a bottle of Barrelhound at Rebellion (1836 18th Street NW) where bartender Shana Steele unwittingly came up with a drink that resembles a Highland Cooler. “I was playing around with putting it with prosecco in a flute glass, or muddled mint like a Mojito,” she says. “I’m a big fan ginger beer and the scotch-bourbon mix makes it more approachable.” Steel says her drink is selling a lot of scotch.

I convinced the bartender at Bar Dupont (1500 New Hampshire Avenue NW) to make a Scotch Smash, which was like a minty old fashioned, a Scotch Cobbler, a richer highball drink with orange and honey sweetness, and a Scotch Sangaree, which was a nutmeg and honey spiced soda drink. All of these cocktails were expertly executed and much appreciated after a hot walk from the Metro. While these drinks are not on the cocktail menu, the bartenders were able to improvise from the basic recipe and add their own embellishments whenever appropriate.

I had serious reservations about trying a Highland Fling, but bartender Eric Christiansen at The Irish Whiskey Public House (1207 19th Street NW) didn’t think it at all strange that I wanted a green olive in my Rob Roy. “It’s like people in Michigan who put olives in their beer: you have to try it before you judge,” he told me. I was steeling myself for the disgusting combination of honey and brine, but there was none of the flapjack sweetness characteristic of bargain blends. The drink resembled a Martinez or other classic vermouth cocktail, where the spirit wasn’t the principal flavor.

My vote for the best summer scotch cocktail goes to the Scotch Orange Fix, for it’s ability to please drinkers of all sorts. This is an easy DIY drink that’s perfect for sipping on your porch or rooftop.