Is there such thing as a quadruple of scotch?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gfoster

Get yourself a whiskey tumbler... pour 2 fingers of scotch at room temp into it. Add a teaspoon of water (I did this with the 18 year old mac I had on saturday and wow, it *did* open it up, I need to thank the people who convinced me to try it). Swirl it, hold it up to the light and admire it. Cup your nose deep into the glass and smell the bouquet, then take a sip and hold it on the front of your tongue and let it slowly warm and permeate your entire mouth before you swallow it. You'll pick out various fruit notes first, then it will shift to vanilla, tobacco, cinnamon, leather, etc and then will shift towards the oak (and peat, a slight earthy smokey and almost grainy note if it's a peaty malt) at the end. After you swallow it, turn towards Scotland and raise your glass high and give a silent thanks to the geniuses who invented Scotch singlemalt whiskey. Repeat until your glass is empty.

Don't get hammered on good scotch, that's just a sin... stop when you're a bit fuzzy around the edges but just before you start searching for bagpipes and kilts on eBay :)

-- Gary F.

---

DONT waste good scotch lol (not that I should talk)...but I dont make a habit of it.

Here are my recommendations, although some might be a little much for a beginner.

as Gary mentioned the macallan 12 is always a safe bet, but here are a few others:

I find this very easy to drink, it is a very unique blend of flavors, but may be good for a novice who is scared of a strong aftertaste. Its one of my favorites.
http://www.whisky.com/brands/oban_brand.html
http://www.bevmo.com/115images/3551.jpg

This one has a great flavor for an after dinner scotch. It might be a bit rough and edgy for a novice because it has a very strong and long winded aftertaste that sticks with you....I find it very unique and wonderful in small doses:
http://www.pawineandspirits.com/weba...egory_rn=25208
http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcss.../07694_300.jpg

I may try this next...it sounds great...again...possibly a bit intense for a novice:
http://www.pawineandspirits.com/weba...egory_rn=25208

My goal in life is to buy a bottle of this:
http://www.pawineandspirits.com/weba...egory_rn=25208
http://www.pawineandspirits.com/wcss.../01830_300.jpg

Although it can be good, I would recommend that anyone new to scotch stay far away from anything that says "cask strength" The Macallan for instance has a cask strength I have had it, and I think it might burn a hole in a novices tongue.

The Macallan 18 would be great for a novice because of its smooth and easy to handle flavor, but the price tag is a bit much for a first try.

I Had to break this up into two posts because I had to many links so part 2:

as Gary mentioned you need a good tumbler, I have had many but these are still my favorites buy a very long shot and they are not very expensive. I wont drink my scotch out of anything else, and if your asking yourself does it really make a difference, the answer is YES...go get yourself at least one of these tumblers (double old-fashioned), or you can order a set of 4 online:
http://ww5.williams-sonoma.com/cat/p...Fc-glshdfi.jsp
http://a1412.g.akamai.net/7/1412/243...010/img13m.jpg

VERY IMPORTANT you must click this link and listen to the wonderful music while drinking your first taste of scotch to...it gives me goose bumps :) http://www.themacallan.com/fineOak/ the link will take you to the main page where you will have to enter your country and date of birth then go ahead and enter the site and you will automatically be forwarded to this page...its worth it...it might take a minute for the music to start though....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pitbulls20

Wow! How do yall drink this stuff ! I could barely take 2 drinks of it lol. I guess whiskey is not for me. I think I am still making a face hehe. Think I will stick with beer.

---

It is an aquired taste for some...for others its painful to think about drinking...for me its refined and wonderful and a slight burn that humbles me. What did you drink how quickly did you drink it and where were you??

I've got a bottle of cask-strength Laphroiag. It's much smoother than the standard proof stuff, which tells me that a lot of the "character" of Laphroiag comes from the water they use to cut it to 80 proof. And by "character" I mean that used bandaid smell :-) I love that stuff...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mparker762

I've got a bottle of cask-strength Laphroiag. It's much smoother than the standard proof stuff, which tells me that a lot of the "character" of Laphroiag comes from the water they use to cut it to 80 proof. And by "character" I mean that used bandaid smell :-) I love that stuff...

---

I haven't been able to find the cask strength here, but haven't made in in-depth search, either. I've had it when I was in Ireland, and loved it.

It's definitely one of my very favorites, although I drink distilled spirits very little in the last few years.

Laphroaig is one of the few that I will still drink.:cool:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JLStorm

It is an aquired taste for some...for others its painful to think about drinking...for me its refined and wonderful and a slight burn that humbles me. What did you drink how quickly did you drink it and where were you??

---

The drink was Glenlivet(sp?)

Just one drink, more than a sip less than a mouthfull, I held it in my mouth a few seconds to see if I could taste the flavors people were talking about then done my best to swallow hehe.

Standing by the kitchen sink.

pitbulls20 - Occasionally on a hot day, I'll dilute a decent malt with 10 times the amount of cool Highland spring water (which I get from the tap (ie. faucet), fortunately). It still gives you the various woody, smokey flavours without the harsher alcohol hit which might put a novice whisky drinker off. I reckon the Glenlivet would suit it quite well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stot

pitbulls20 - Occasionally on a hot day, I'll dilute a decent malt with 10 times the amount of cool Highland spring water (which I get from the tap (ie. faucet), fortunately). It still gives you the various woody, smokey flavours without the harsher alcohol hit which might put a novice whisky drinker off. I reckon the Glenlivet would suit it quite well.

---

sheesh lucky...how convenient he likes scotch and just happens to live in scottland...I bet good scotch is no big deal over there...probably like pepsi or coke in the US:rant:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pitbulls20

The drink was Glenlivet(sp?)

Just one drink, more than a sip less than a mouthfull, I held it in my mouth a few seconds to see if I could taste the flavors people were talking about then done my best to swallow hehe.

Standing by the kitchen sink.

---

If you hold it in your mouth for too long it can act like mouthwash and burn the hell out of your tastebuds. but like I said...give it another try with another brand...oban or the macallan....there are plenty of scotches that I just dont appreciate and all I will drink is scotch for the most part.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JLStorm

.I bet good scotch is no big deal over there...probably like pepsi or coke in the US:rant:

---

Not quite - my boss would get a bit annoyed if I had half a pint of whisky at lunchtime;) but a lot of pubs have a decent selection of malts behind the bar. It probably says something that the local petrol station has 10-15 different kinds of single malt for sale, too.