Single Malt Scotch Fans

[ReflectedLight]

i'm easing my way into the scotch whiskey bourbon area. i didn't know where to start so i went to the liquor store and picked up a sample of jimmy beam whiskey bourbon. added a few drops of water and i'm still not sure what i think. it smells good but the taste......

i really want to like whiskey or scotch cus it looks so good in the bottle and sometimes i don't feel like a beer. any tips???

[Gov]

If you are looking for a nice easy drinking bourbon that wont kill your pocket book, get a bottle of Wild Turkey 101. To begin with, put either water or ice in it then try it "neat". If you find it too much for you "neat" water or ice is acceptable. If you use ice though don't make a bourbon icey out of it

I would like to recommend Powers Gold Label irish whiskey as well.

As for single malt scotch, try either Glenfiddich 12 yr or Glenlivet 12 yr. A little water is fine, but ice ruins scotch IMHO.

[ReflectedLight]

QUOTE (Gov @ Sep 25 2009, 07:38 AM)

If you are looking for a nice easy drinking bourbon that wont kill your pocket book, get a bottle of Wild Turkey 101. To begin with, put either water or ice in it then try it "neat". If you find it too much for you "neat" water or ice is acceptable. If you use ice though don't make a bourbon icey out of it I would like to recommend Powers Gold Label irish whiskey as well. As for single malt scotch, try either Glenfiddich 12 yr or Glenlivet 12 yr. A little water is fine, but ice ruins scotch IMHO.

got it thanks.

maybe instead of buying the whole bottle i'll just try it out at the bar.

i just don't want to look like a fool trying to drink it.

[BaldiePete]

QUOTE (ghostworks @ Sep 13 2009, 04:02 AM)

Pete, I've just acquired a Highland Park 12 (many recommendations for it) I haven't opened it - what can I expect?

Only two weeks late !

 

Expect a very smooth dram, with enough smokiness to give it character but sweet enough to make it an easy one to drink too much of.

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

Bought a bottle of 12yr old Yamazaki yesterday.

Lovely stuff.

Honeyish, with a kind of burnt cognac finish. Very good indeed.

 

 

[ghostworks]

QUOTE (BaldiePete @ Sep 27 2009, 10:32 AM)

QUOTE (ghostworks @ Sep 13 2009, 04:02 AM) Pete, I've just acquired a Highland Park 12 (many recommendations for it) I haven't opened it - what can I expect? Only two weeks late !   Expect a very smooth dram, with enough smokiness to give it character but sweet enough to make it an easy one to drink too much of. I didn't try it until last night (held off until I could get the 'crew' assembled for a proper Scotch tasting)!   That said: we all liked it. But that was it. Just liked it.   I felt it finished a little too abruptly for my tastes - no 'ride' to the drink. The nose, however, was a thing of beauty. vanilla and a faint caramel vibe. Wish the rest of it was as satisfying.   We went onward to the Dalwhinnie 15. A completely different dram, and the 'ride' that I was missing with the Highland Park was definitely present here. Even so... there was just something missing - a little 'grassy' or too much wheat. I'm okay with gentler Scotch (not everything I drink is a Talisker or Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve) but The Dal failed to impress.   I was 0 for 2 on the night, so I brought out the big guns - a Talisker 18 for the finish.   Good lord.

[ghostworks]

[ghostworks]

http://connosr.com/image/2/220/300/5/uploads/bottles/P-7066.jpg

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

Just back from a 3 day trip to the Islay distilleries!!!

 

Visited and sipped drams in Laphroaig, Bruchladdich, Lagavulin & Bowmore.

Bought 6 fabulous bottles.

 

On the Island I purchased:

 

Lagavulin 1993 Distiller's Edition

Bowmore Maltman's Edition - only 3000 bottles made

Bruchladdich 1991 Yellow Submarine

 

Then in the airport there was an incredible sale:

 

Balvenie 14 yr old Goldencask

and........a Bushmills 1608 400th anniversary edition..........

 

And a lovely bottle of Tamdhu. Add to that a pewter Quaich and 7 snifters.

A remarkable weekend.

The hotel had over 260 Islays, the best I tried were:

 

27 yr old Port Ellen

Port Wood 1988 Bowmore

Bunnabhainn 1984

Cask Strength Caol Ila and many more.

[ghostworks]

QUOTE (Hatchetaxe&saw @ Oct 26 2009, 03:33 PM)

Just back from a 3 day trip to the Islay distilleries!!! Visited and sipped drams in Laphroaig, Bruchladdich, Lagavulin & Bowmore. Bought 6 fabulous bottles. On the Island I purchased: Lagavulin 1993 Distiller's Edition Bowmore Maltman's Edition - only 3000 bottles made Bruchladdich 1991 Yellow Submarine Then in the airport there was an incredible sale: Balvenie 14 yr old Goldencask and........a Bushmills 1608 400th anniversary edition.......... And a lovely bottle of Tamdhu. Add to that a pewter Quaich and 7 snifters. A remarkable weekend. The hotel had over 260 Islays, the best I tried were: 27 yr old Port Ellen Port Wood 1988 Bowmore Bunnabhainn 1984 Cask Strength Caol Ila and many more.

I would reach through the internet and throttle you if it were possible...

 

Fantastic adventures

[Tinwoodsman]

QUOTE (ghostworks @ Oct 26 2009, 01:37 PM)

http://connosr.com/image/2/220/300/5/uploads/bottles/P-7066.jpg

That Glenmorangie is really good stuff!

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

My wife came back from a weekend away with the girls with a copy of Jim Murray's 2009 Whisky Bible and a bottle of Tomintoul With A Peaty Tang, which Jim scores at 94/100.

 

 

She's one great woman.

[ghostworks]

QUOTE (Hatchetaxe&saw @ Nov 17 2009, 12:58 PM)

My wife came back from a weekend away with the girls with a copy of Jim Murray's 2009 Whisky Bible and a bottle of Tomintoul With A Peaty Tang, which Jim scores at 94/100. She's one great woman.

I second that emotion...

[BaldiePete]

[BaldiePete]

QUOTE (Hatchetaxe&saw @ Oct 26 2009, 09:33 PM)

Just back from a 3 day trip to the Islay distilleries!!! Visited and sipped drams in Laphroaig, Bruchladdich, Lagavulin & Bowmore. Bought 6 fabulous bottles. On the Island I purchased: Lagavulin 1993 Distiller's Edition Bowmore Maltman's Edition - only 3000 bottles made Bruchladdich 1991 Yellow Submarine Then in the airport there was an incredible sale: Balvenie 14 yr old Goldencask and........a Bushmills 1608 400th anniversary edition.......... And a lovely bottle of Tamdhu. Add to that a pewter Quaich and 7 snifters. A remarkable weekend. The hotel had over 260 Islays, the best I tried were: 27 yr old Port Ellen Port Wood 1988 Bowmore Bunnabhainn 1984 Cask Strength Caol Ila and many more.

Port Ellen is a wonderful dram, it's an absolute crime that the distillery has been dismantled. It's an Islay classic with all the characteristics of that island's whiskies. I've had two bottles of it, the 2nd official release (24 YO) and a 28 YO from the Douglas Laing "Old & Rare" collection. The 24YO was a thing of beauty. I finished the bottle about three years ago and I can still taste it now

[Slim]

I like the Talisker most of all, a sharp, peaty malt from the Isle of Skye with a hint of marine flavour, not dissimilar to an Islay. Also like the Laphroaig, a cracking smoky Islay. My other favourite is Glenlivet, a smooth and mellow Speyside.

 

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

QUOTE (Slim @ Nov 20 2009, 01:20 PM)

I like the Talisker most of all, a sharp, peaty malt from the Isle of Skye with a hint of marine flavour, not dissimilar to an Islay. Also like the Laphroaig, a cracking smoky Islay. My other favourite is Glenlivet, a smooth and mellow Speyside.

The Laphroaig 1/4 cask is stunning, sweet and smoky. Amazing.

[ghostworks]

QUOTE (Hatchetaxe&saw @ Nov 20 2009, 09:23 AM)

QUOTE (Slim @ Nov 20 2009, 01:20 PM) I like the Talisker most of all, a sharp, peaty malt from the Isle of Skye with a hint of marine flavour, not dissimilar to an Islay. Also like the Laphroaig, a cracking smoky Islay. My other favourite is Glenlivet, a smooth and mellow Speyside. The Laphroaig 1/4 cask is stunning, sweet and smoky. Amazing. I'll agree here - I tried it this summer... brutally fantastic.   It's not polite. It's up and at you straightaway, with that colossal peat seeming to curl out of the glass like smoke.   I don't own a bottle, but I 'visit' one regularly at a relative's house.   When we first started sharing, our dissimilar tastes in Scotch rendered our cabinets quite different.   This had a nice side-effect - being able to sample bottles we wouldn't have bought for ourselves. And of course, every now and then one of us discovers a new 'must have' - in the process, our cabinets are now ironically quite similar (but that's mostly due to size!).

Edited December 6, 2009 by ghostworks

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

Folks, I highly recommend the 12yr old Yamazaki, distilled and bottled by Suntory.

It's gorgeous, honey, toffee, and a strong sherry finish. Amazing stuff.

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

Bowmore Maltmen's Selection is to die for. Oily, smoky, cask strength, what more can a man ask for?

[ghostworks]

QUOTE (ghostworks @ Oct 23 2009, 10:22 PM)

QUOTE (BaldiePete @ Sep 27 2009, 10:32 AM) QUOTE (ghostworks @ Sep 13 2009, 04:02 AM) Pete, I've just acquired a Highland Park 12 (many recommendations for it) I haven't opened it - what can I expect? Only two weeks late !   Expect a very smooth dram, with enough smokiness to give it character but sweet enough to make it an easy one to drink too much of. I didn't try it until last night (held off until I could get the 'crew' assembled for a proper Scotch tasting)!   That said: we all liked it. But that was it. Just liked it.   I felt it finished a little too abruptly for my tastes - no 'ride' to the drink. The nose, however, was a thing of beauty. vanilla and a faint caramel vibe. Wish the rest of it was as satisfying.   We went onward to the Dalwhinnie 15. A completely different dram, and the 'ride' that I was missing with the Highland Park was definitely present here. Even so... there was just something missing - a little 'grassy' or too much wheat. I'm okay with gentler Scotch (not everything I drink is a Talisker or Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve) but The Dal failed to impress.   I was 0 for 2 on the night, so I brought out the big guns - a Talisker 18 for the finish.   Good lord.     UPDATE: Highland Park 12   Note: I typically like my Scotch with a single, small cube of ice - I find it almost always opens the malt up for me (and pleasantly chills the glass ever so slightly) - I tried the HP12 this way initially, and as I said (above) it did nothing for me.   So.   On the advice of another veteran Scotch drinker, I took to the HP12 again - this time, neat.   I must admit, the character change was dramatic.   That said, I still find the HP12 a little weak on the finish, but it's much less pronounced when drunk neat (although a first sip neat is too peppery for my tastes.)   Ultimately, the HP12 is still a 'no thanks' in my book, but drunk neat it deserves an upgrade to 'OK'.   I'm interested to see if sampling the Dalwhinnie 15 neat will reveal a better dram...

[Hatchetaxe&saw]

QUOTE (ghostworks @ Dec 15 2009, 09:19 PM)

QUOTE (ghostworks @ Oct 23 2009, 10:22 PM) QUOTE (BaldiePete @ Sep 27 2009, 10:32 AM) QUOTE (ghostworks @ Sep 13 2009, 04:02 AM) Pete, I've just acquired a Highland Park 12 (many recommendations for it) I haven't opened it - what can I expect? Only two weeks late !   Expect a very smooth dram, with enough smokiness to give it character but sweet enough to make it an easy one to drink too much of. I didn't try it until last night (held off until I could get the 'crew' assembled for a proper Scotch tasting)!   That said: we all liked it. But that was it. Just liked it.   I felt it finished a little too abruptly for my tastes - no 'ride' to the drink. The nose, however, was a thing of beauty. vanilla and a faint caramel vibe. Wish the rest of it was as satisfying.   We went onward to the Dalwhinnie 15. A completely different dram, and the 'ride' that I was missing with the Highland Park was definitely present here. Even so... there was just something missing - a little 'grassy' or too much wheat. I'm okay with gentler Scotch (not everything I drink is a Talisker or Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve) but The Dal failed to impress.   I was 0 for 2 on the night, so I brought out the big guns - a Talisker 18 for the finish.   Good lord.     UPDATE: Highland Park 12   Note: I typically like my Scotch with a single, small cube of ice - I find it almost always opens the malt up for me (and pleasantly chills the glass ever so slightly) - I tried the HP12 this way initially, and as I said (above) it did nothing for me.   So.   On the advice of another veteran Scotch drinker, I took to the HP12 again - this time, neat.   I must admit, the character change was dramatic.   That said, I still find the HP12 a little weak on the finish, but it's much less pronounced when drunk neat (although a first sip neat is too peppery for my tastes.)   Ultimately, the HP12 is still a 'no thanks' in my book, but drunk neat it deserves an upgrade to 'OK'.   I'm interested to see if sampling the Dalwhinnie 15 neat will reveal a better dram... The Dal 15 is beautiful!!!! Neat, or an eye dropper of water will really open it up for you. Ice will kill it. All IMHO of course!!

[Gov]

QUOTE (Hatchetaxe&saw @ Dec 9 2009, 05:20 PM)

Folks, I highly recommend the 12yr old Yamazaki, distilled and bottled by Suntory. It's gorgeous, honey, toffee, and a strong sherry finish. Amazing stuff.

A big +1!!!!!

[Gov]

QUOTE (ghostworks @ Dec 15 2009, 04:19 PM)

QUOTE (ghostworks @ Oct 23 2009, 10:22 PM) QUOTE (BaldiePete @ Sep 27 2009, 10:32 AM) QUOTE (ghostworks @ Sep 13 2009, 04:02 AM) Pete, I've just acquired a Highland Park 12 (many recommendations for it) I haven't opened it - what can I expect? Only two weeks late !   Expect a very smooth dram, with enough smokiness to give it character but sweet enough to make it an easy one to drink too much of. I didn't try it until last night (held off until I could get the 'crew' assembled for a proper Scotch tasting)!   That said: we all liked it. But that was it. Just liked it.   I felt it finished a little too abruptly for my tastes - no 'ride' to the drink. The nose, however, was a thing of beauty. vanilla and a faint caramel vibe. Wish the rest of it was as satisfying.   We went onward to the Dalwhinnie 15. A completely different dram, and the 'ride' that I was missing with the Highland Park was definitely present here. Even so... there was just something missing - a little 'grassy' or too much wheat. I'm okay with gentler Scotch (not everything I drink is a Talisker or Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve) but The Dal failed to impress.   I was 0 for 2 on the night, so I brought out the big guns - a Talisker 18 for the finish.   Good lord.     UPDATE: Highland Park 12   Note: I typically like my Scotch with a single, small cube of ice - I find it almost always opens the malt up for me (and pleasantly chills the glass ever so slightly) - I tried the HP12 this way initially, and as I said (above) it did nothing for me.   So.   On the advice of another veteran Scotch drinker, I took to the HP12 again - this time, neat.   I must admit, the character change was dramatic.   That said, I still find the HP12 a little weak on the finish, but it's much less pronounced when drunk neat (although a first sip neat is too peppery for my tastes.)   Ultimately, the HP12 is still a 'no thanks' in my book, but drunk neat it deserves an upgrade to 'OK'.   I'm interested to see if sampling the Dalwhinnie 15 neat will reveal a better dram... I think you will find a whole new whisky experience eliminating the single ice cube from the malts. Do try them all neat!

[ghostworks]

I'll disagree with you there, Gov.

 

I've had the (unpleasant) experience of trying many single malts neat.

 

Especially on older malts (18 y.o.+), even a small mouthful of the spirit neat will over-sensitize the tongue and nose, leaving you with a 'burned' palate for any subsequent sips.

 

What a waste of a dram, IMO.

 

I discovered early on that a small (no larger than 3/4" x 3/4") cube chilled the dram ever so slightly and opened up the flavors and nose of those big malts to my perfect taste.

 

My mistake has been in making that my default preparation/first taste for ALL Scotch.

 

Case in point: last night I stopped in at a local liquor store, where the proprietor knows me and shares my Scotch obsession. We got to talking about my recent Highland Park experience (^ above) and he asked me if I'd ever tried the HP18.

 

I hadn't, and he invited me to the 'open' cabinet (he keeps an open cabinet in the store full of single malts and other liquors for sampling... smart man ) and offered me a dram; "try this one neat, too," he said.

 

Fantastic.

 

I'll admit, neat is the way to the heart of the HP, no question.

 

So. Lesson learned. I'll keep the neat card in hand should I encounter malts that don't work for me with my standard small cube preparation.

 

'Just in case.'

 

[i wouldn't want to miss anything...]