I guess I'll get something started. What kinds of single malts do you like? Laphroaig and Talisker top my list.
Printable View
I guess I'll get something started. What kinds of single malts do you like? Laphroaig and Talisker top my list.
both good but in the same class and slightly tastier... oban please.
-Bob
:w
I prefer Glenmorangie port wood finish 12 year with a good cigar like Fuente or Cohiba Dominican.
I like the Balvenie 10 year and Aberlour.
My late father used to bring me a bottle of Aberlour when he traveled to the UK on business.
Still can't seem to throw away that first bottle even though it's been empty for years.
Not too keen on the really heavy malts like Laphroaig and Talisker, personally I much prefer something a bit smoother like Macallan or (my current favourite) Balvenie Doublewood.
I am new to this and very interested where would a Noob start. For reference I do beleive if you are going to try something do not go cheap, get something that gives you the picture any ideas for a Noob
I like a bunch of malts, although I am not really what you would call an authority on the stuff (where's Bruno when you need him?). Oban and Lagavulin are both favorites as is Springbank. I guess the go to brand for me is the Macallan, preferably 18 or 25.
Don, you might try a vertical of Macallan starting with a 12 and working up (older). It's as good a place to start as any. As much as you travel you could add liquor store to your route. Sam's Wine in Chicago has a nice selection as does Park Ave in NYC. I can see it now....typical biz trip for Don....cigar shop, antique store, liquor store, cigar shop, antique store......:roflmao
I like a lot of them.
Right now, Talisker, and MacAllan are high on my list.
John P.
A beginner might start with a fiddich or a livett until his palllette matures a bit :)
In the name of all that is good and holy: No GlenFiddich. It has as much character as pepsi cola.
If you want to get a taste for whisky, I suggest a Springbank 10 years.
The taste is accessible enough for newbies, and it is one of the few whiskies that do not chill-filter the whisky for their standard commerical bottlings.
When whisky comes out of the cask, it contains traces of an oily substance. It adds complexity to the taste, but it can also make the whisky look hazy when it is cold.
Since the plebs would go 'Ehw' based on the appearance, it is usually removed from standard bottlings by filtering of chipped ice (although the industrial equivalent probably doesn't use ice anymore).
It is never removed from medium-high end whiskies because those are bought by people who know whisy, and appreciate the taste.
Springbank is a very good whisky, and it is among the favorites for both me and my wife, yet it is still very affordable. It's around 55 euros per bottle, which is cheap for a good malt.
If you really want to get started on whisky, buy a couple of whiskies from independent bottlers like cadenheads, signatory, gordon and mcphail, or similar.
If you stick around the 50-70 euro price tag you get excellent whiskies.
There is no point in going really high end until you know what you like, because there are vastly different tastes in whisky, and it would suck to pay 200 euros and then discover that you don't like it.
Now to get back on topic: if I had to pick just 1, I'd pick Dalhuaine. It has a peppery taste which is unlike any other whisky I ever tried (and I tried a lot)
What are some top of the line money no object brands of whiskey. My grandmother was a bootlegger and we always just drank what we made. It was smooth and sweet and clear as spring water. But I would like to hear the names of the very best in all the world in you fellas opinion,
Brand names don't really matter. It's just a matter of taste.
Independent bottlers take samples from lots of casks in the storeroom, and then buy the casks which they think have the best potential.
These casks are matured until the whisky is at it's peak, which is why independent bottlings do not always have the same age.
I like older whiskies > 15 years, but I've had an 8 year old bowmore that was fabulous.
My favorites include Dalhuaine, Port Ellen, Highland Park, Isle of Jura, Springbank and Glen Rothes.
But as I said before: I want to have had 1 bottle from each distillery (money permitting of course) before I die. I've now had 90 different ones.
Some that I really like, I buy over and over, like springbank.
And my wife also likes malt whisky, so it is the one and only luxury item we spend money on, and thus I never have to argue about spending enough on whisky to buy a Livi.
We go shopping for whisky 2 times per year, and we buy it in a store that started as a hobby, and then went out of hand. The owner know anyone who's important in that world, and has thousands of bottles that are not available to normal shops. And he takes only very small margins because he is not out for a profit. He just wants to make enough to cover for the hundreds of bottles that are openend for tasting in his shop.
well then how about this. When you die what would you serve at your wake!
Providing my wife doesn't want to have them anymore, I'd say everything I have, including the dozen very rare malts (27yr Port Ellen, 22yr Dallas Dhu, ...) that I keep locked away.
But if I could take one with me in the coffin, it would be the 31 year old Dalhuaine.
I'm an island malts man mostly, when I do at all. Kind of prefer Belgian beer as a tipple mostly though. Laphroaig often comes out top for me - dad used to call it 'the frog'. I like the peaty, slightly medicinal feel to it.
We managed to resist calling our daughter 'Islay' (pronounced with the sound of the 'i' in child and then 'la' - had to really think about how to find the right sounding 'i' there!) as this was where she was created. May have had something to do with the whisky! A really nice intro to Islay malts is Bunnahabhain (bunna-hav-in) bunna meaning mouth and abhain is a river in Gaelic. It is reasonably light but still with that peaty, slightly medicinal taste. I remember going into a pub in Aviemore and they were offering anybody who could pronounce it correctly a free dram. So my first one was free that night, but they got their money back...
cheers
Stephen
Don,
If you do make it out to Chicago, we have a terrific Scottish pub called The Duke of Perth. The have at least 50 different single malts available and they offer flights so you can sample several different vintages, styles or regions. Mike behind the bar is very knowledgeable and would be happy to guide you. When you find one you like you can head over to Sam's and buy a bottle...or 3.:roflmao
Thanks guys for all the great info going to make a trip to to store today. will report back on what I got.
The Macallan Cask Strength is excellent for the money (about 60 bucks in GA) I like it neat and I like trying it with varying amounts of water (not much though!) to sort of play "scotch blender"
I agree with the water.
Cask strength whisky needs (imo) a splash of water to really bring out the flavors. Kinda like have to open a bottle of wine to the air, half an hour before you drink it.
I like my whisky (well, all liquor basically) strong. I think 46 - 52 volumetric % is the ideal drinking strength.
Dalwinnie 15
MacAllan 18
are my two everyday favorites, on one rare occasion I had some MacAllan 25, it was magnificent, but definitely not worth buying on a regular basis.
How does everyone drink their scotch? I'm ashamed to admit it, I usually put an ice cube in to swirl about, but drink it before it melts and adulturates the scotch.
Bruno, what do you think about MacCallen? I've tried both recently as those 2 are readily available locally. I have to say, I found Glenfiddich more enjoyable. It could be because I'm not used to whiskey of course. MacCallen 12 vs Glenfiddich 21 was like drinking VS Cogniac vs XO.
Sorry I should have been more explicit.
I meant the default glen fiddich bottling. Not the 21 year old.
I have never tried it, but it would really surprise me if the 21 year old is not a good one.
The same goes for MCCallan, but to a lesser degree.
The default 12 year old is not bad, but is is a bit bland if you are used to whiskies with character. But the 18 year old McCallan is pretty good, though a bit overpriced imo.
And with Johny Walker, this principle is taken to the extreme.
The red label is absolute crap, but the green label (malt) and blue label (high end blend) are superb.
So I can see why a 12 yr MC would be disappointing compared to a 21 yr old GF.
The little Store I went to did not have a lot of the choices mentioned here. No Springbank and that seemed to be the most recommended for the Nob. So they had the Oban and MacCallen 15. I went with the MacCallen. Looking forward to trying.
If someone is up to it If they could give my a description of the taste of this one compared to others so as I try it I know what to look for and to also set up what I like and do not like to make it easier to choose the next one in the journey.
Thanks Don
Thanks, Bruno. I'll look into different brands. Turns out there is a good liquor store a few blocks away from me (Park Avenue Liquor Shop) that has Springbank among other things. Probably not the cheapest but the convenience sure beats having to search things out on the net and waiting to receive them. I guess living in NYC still has some advantages. Other than shaving goods shops. :)
I enjoy a Speyside single malt scotch every now and again. My favorite is a'bunadh. Ablerour makes a great a'bunadh (I believe pronounced ah-boon-der). Due to mixing in the sherry casks, it is difficult to determine an exact year from bottle to bottle, but all I have had are outstanding. It can be rather hard to find though. Happy drinking!
-Kyle-
Lord, I need to go back to Scotland...y'all are making this southern boy's mouth water...and that is terrible because I hate adding water to my whisky!!!
My preference is for island malts.
Laphroaig
Talisker
Lagavoulin
Really wish I had access to a wide variety, but here in rural Alabama access to the finer things in life is often quite limited.
Slainte,
Ed
Slainte,
Ed[/quote]
Slainte mhath, h-uile latha, na chi 'snach fhaic. Slainte!
It's funny but drinking marghueritas in Scotland just never quite works. Is it the same for whisky in Alabama? Mind you I seem to enjoy belgian beer well enough - maybe it's just where you try it first? Drinks and holiday memories etc...
I like Macallan 10 yr (for this college student that's expensive enough!) and Dalwhinnie 15 yr. Glenlivet is nice, but not as good as the Macallan or Dalwhinnie. I had a chance to try Macallan 25 year once, it was amazing! Way way out of my price range though.
It is good to try some from the different regions -- the various regions are known for certain characteristics -- to find out what you like. The tastes differ dramatically. A quick internet search will give you the regions and charactisitics.
Personally, I like the peaty/smokey single malts. I am working on a bottle of Coal Isla right now, and really like it. When I'm in mood for something less smokey, I like Dalwinnie. There are just so many choices.....
Lynn,
If you're familiar with the area, The Duke is on the North side in Lakeview. About 15 minutes from The Loop (down town). Here is the link...http://www.dukeofperth.com/main.htm
If you happen to be in town, let me know, I'd love to buy you a drink for all you've done for the community. This would also be a great spot for a Chicago SRP get together:nj
Interesting interview with Bruce Ridley on whisky. Once you get to the link below, click on track 12 to listen to the interview.
http://www.stannespub.com/newdraught/
Ok, looking for a recommendation... I'm in college so budget is somewhat tight, but I also prefer to pay a little more for something that's better. I got a taste for scotch with Cutty and Dewars... told a co-worker who was absolutely horrified and insisted that I try single malt.. so I got some Macallan 12 @~$30/bottle. My college terms are 3 months, and one of the smallish (750ml?) bottles will easily last the whole 3 months, so I usually only buy one bottle at a time due to my nomadic nature at the moment.. because of this I've been sticking with the MacAllan due to not wanting to spend $30-$50 (a lot of $$ for my drinking budget) on something just to find I don't like it.
I'm not a heavy drinker, just like to enjoy a glass of scotch or rum with a pipe or cigar while reading..
So, can anyone recommend a nice step up from the Mac12, in say a price range UNDER $75? Preferrably under $50
If you can find it, get a sample pack called "The Six Classic Malts of Scotland." My local liquor store had it and it contains 6 small bottles of Oban, Glenkinchie, Cragganmore, Talisker, Dalwinnie, and Lagavulin.
For about $25 (when I bought it) it's a very inexpensive way to get a taste of some of the best single malts.
Scott
I found a link to it here: http://www.thedrinkshop.com/products...hp?prodid=1855
Same product, but It seems the cost has gone up. Still much cheaper than buying all the full sized bottles.