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single malt whisky thread
- Thread starter nitewulf
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POWERSPHERE
Member
I'm sipping on some Jamesons right now, but it's hardly special, but it's doing the job. Drop an ice cube in and it's not bad.
nitewulf said:i'm going out of the country for the last two weeks of december. i was wodnering will it be cheaper for me to buy good scotch from hithrow or other asian airports rather than buying domestically within the US? also, what are some good websites, if any, to order whisky from?
and my current brand of choice:
Parker's Whisky. Small selection but the customer services is great and the postal fees are tolerable. They also have good discounts and offers for long time customers. Some times they just send me bottles just because I have been a loyal customer
http://www.parkerswhisky.co.uk/
Whisky Exchange. Big selection and reliable. Postal fees are astronomical so you better deliver with your friends, comes cheaper that way.
http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/
You also should try some Japanese whisky. Japanese whisky has gained good reputation in these past years and they have won many single malt of year awards recently so give 'em a shot.
edit: This is one old ass thread.
POWERSPHERE
Member
With Laphroaig, i've read it's very 'peaty'. What do people mean by 'peaty', not sure what the peat flavour is.
I've had Suntory single malt, from Japan. It was pretty good, about on par with a decent Speyside like Macallen or Glenlivet 12 yr olds (i.e., before they start to pick up what little peaty flavor those guys get at 18 yrs).
For my money, duty free is for rare stuff you can't get in the US (usually odd-ball aged bottles from common distilleries) or for saving big on the real expensive stuff like JW Blue.
I LOVE Paddys. I hear it is almost like a table wine in Ireland, but it isn't available here in the states, for shame! It is one of the few whiskies the wife will drink.
Damn the stupid US 750 ml bottling requirement. I hear the rest of the world has a 700 ml bottle standard so they get lots of cool small run stuff no one markets here.
For my money, duty free is for rare stuff you can't get in the US (usually odd-ball aged bottles from common distilleries) or for saving big on the real expensive stuff like JW Blue.
I LOVE Paddys. I hear it is almost like a table wine in Ireland, but it isn't available here in the states, for shame! It is one of the few whiskies the wife will drink.
Damn the stupid US 750 ml bottling requirement. I hear the rest of the world has a 700 ml bottle standard so they get lots of cool small run stuff no one markets here.
NovemberMike
Member
Ether_Snake said:
Quite a few of those are meant to indicate that the distillery has some history. Different single malts can taste quite different so they are just emphasizing that. "Natural Cask Strength" actually means something though, namely that it has the same strength that it did while in the cask (usually 20% higher than normal whiskies).
chaostrophy
Member
POWERSPHERE said:
It's a smoky, spicy flavor- it comes from burning peat moss and letting the malt absorb the smoke. I've heard it described as "like bacon" or "like drinking a campfire". I guess it's a love it or hate it thing, personally I love it, but you might want to get a glass of a peaty Scotch like Laphroaig in a bar rather than buying a bottle, in case you end up hating it.
Fenderputty
Banned
I like scotch, but enjoy the burnt oak barrel flavors of a bourbon. It's whiskey so ....
My fav is Bookers.
http://www.smallbatch.com/bookers
Unfiltered, straight from the barrel. Each small batch has it's own proof and label. Good stuff for sure.
My fav is Bookers.
http://www.smallbatch.com/bookers
Unfiltered, straight from the barrel. Each small batch has it's own proof and label. Good stuff for sure.
Hari Seldon
Member
Can someone recommend a whisky for a lightweight such as myself that I could find commonly? Hopefully like < $30-40/bottle. I live in PA so I have to go to the state store. I hate Jack Daniels so hopefully it doesn't taste that bad lol.
I'm a god damn n00b when it comes to hard alcohol. I need to start developing a taste for it because beer makes you fat, but damn I love beer.
I'm a god damn n00b when it comes to hard alcohol. I need to start developing a taste for it because beer makes you fat, but damn I love beer.
BattlestarDT
Banned
Came in this thread to tell everyone to watch out for trolls from the smoking thread coming to tell you that you are being "bad"
Also, nice pics, all of my coworkers had a looksie and some discussion/heated argument broke out lol.
Also, nice pics, all of my coworkers had a looksie and some discussion/heated argument broke out lol.
I've always gone for the cheapest, because you can have more obviously. But I treated myself to The Glenlivet the other day. The frist taste seemed a bit thin and watery and nothing at all special. But as you have a bit more you can taste the range of flavors. After that I went back to the regular cheap stuff and it seemed awful :lol like getting hit in the mouth with a board.
Too bad the good stuff is like 4x the price.
Too bad the good stuff is like 4x the price.
desertdroog
Member
Be aware that Laphroaig is discontinuing the sale of 15 year old Laphroaig. The market is quite flat right now for premium single malt scotch, and the $75 -$90 isn't selling very well. Therefore, Laphroig is going to sit on the 15 year old casks for another 3 years, and then disperse it as 18 year old, and be able to take the cost up over $100. Smart marketing.
It's veeerrrrry smmoooth and smokey. Good stuff. Do yourself a favor and try to find a bottle or two, and put it away.
It's veeerrrrry smmoooth and smokey. Good stuff. Do yourself a favor and try to find a bottle or two, and put it away.
SnakeswithLasers
Member
Hari Seldon said:
Most of the stuff in this thread is going to be better than JD, but the flavors are intense and sometimes difficult--so even though it's "better", that's quite subjective to the person's level of experience with whiskey.
What I did was start with blends before moving to single malts. I really like Famous Grouse for a blended scotch whisky and always have a bottle of it at home. But there's a ton of them out there--you may want to just find one you like for $20 or $25 and then drink a couple bottles of that. Next, grab a bottle of Glenfiddich 12 or Macallan 10 and you'll be in the clear. You might want to try to avoid scotches that are especially smoky at first.
I don't know if you're only interested in scotch though (since you mentioned JD as a reference whiskey)--so try out bushmills and jameson too. The Irish make a mean whiskey. I just got a bottle of Black Bush for christmas and it's great. If you want to spend a bit over $35 or so, go for it. It's smooth and mellow and delicious. Nothing to complain about there.
Fenderputty
Banned
SnakeswithLasers said:
Can you give me some info on which one are?
As I stated, I like Bourbons and their burnt oak flavors. Tennessee whiskeys are even more gnarly since they not only use burnt oak casks, but then filter the booze through charcoal.
I like scotches, and have had some really smoky ones. I just am not as "in the know"
Irish Whiskeys are good too. Bushmills 400th anniversary whiskey is fucking awesome.
I usually recommend Speyburn for a good "starter" scotch. It is a fairly mild speyside whisky, very mild, and also pretty cheap (~$25 for a bottle).
Do you have any experience with hard liquor? I find that most folks react to the alcohol, it burns and they are not used to it. Here is my recommendation:
1. Get the speyburn.
2. Pour a few fingers into a glass, then add some water, a few splashes. This will dilute the alcohol a bit (NO ICE, this cools the scotch and will just squash the flavor without diluting the alcohol).
3. Sip it slowly, inhaling deeply just prior to each sip (will sting at first from alcohol vapor), and letting the whisky roll over your tongue. Focus on the flavors you taste, rather than the sting of the alcohol. "Nosing" the whisky first will intensify the flavor.
4. Do this each night. By the time you are halfway done with the bottle you should be over the new experience of the alcohol and you can start cutting down the water, by the end of the bottle you should be drinking it with no water (straight, or "neat") or just a small splash (some folks feel this opens up even a premium whisky).
Once you are done, which should take a few weeks depending on how often you drink, you should be over the alcohol and ready to appreciate the flavor of the scotch. Then get a scotch book or use a web site to pick some others, or if you are lucky, go to a bar that does whisky flights. You should be able to appreciate any hard liquor for the flavor, rather than the alcohol sting, and you can decide what is your preference from there.
This is why the Lagavulin and Laphroaig whiskies are so popular. Coming from small islands, they age in a sea-heavy air and thus pick up a strong peaty/iodine flavor, which many develop a strong taste. Others like the peppery Talisker, the spicy Highland Park (my fav), the sweet bourbons, the flowery speysides, or the honey notes of Balveine.
Do you have any experience with hard liquor? I find that most folks react to the alcohol, it burns and they are not used to it. Here is my recommendation:
1. Get the speyburn.
2. Pour a few fingers into a glass, then add some water, a few splashes. This will dilute the alcohol a bit (NO ICE, this cools the scotch and will just squash the flavor without diluting the alcohol).
3. Sip it slowly, inhaling deeply just prior to each sip (will sting at first from alcohol vapor), and letting the whisky roll over your tongue. Focus on the flavors you taste, rather than the sting of the alcohol. "Nosing" the whisky first will intensify the flavor.
4. Do this each night. By the time you are halfway done with the bottle you should be over the new experience of the alcohol and you can start cutting down the water, by the end of the bottle you should be drinking it with no water (straight, or "neat") or just a small splash (some folks feel this opens up even a premium whisky).
Once you are done, which should take a few weeks depending on how often you drink, you should be over the alcohol and ready to appreciate the flavor of the scotch. Then get a scotch book or use a web site to pick some others, or if you are lucky, go to a bar that does whisky flights. You should be able to appreciate any hard liquor for the flavor, rather than the alcohol sting, and you can decide what is your preference from there.
This is why the Lagavulin and Laphroaig whiskies are so popular. Coming from small islands, they age in a sea-heavy air and thus pick up a strong peaty/iodine flavor, which many develop a strong taste. Others like the peppery Talisker, the spicy Highland Park (my fav), the sweet bourbons, the flowery speysides, or the honey notes of Balveine.
Hari Seldon
Member
SnakeswithLasers said:
Thanks for the info dude. Great information. And since it is friday, I will start tonight. :lol
Hari Seldon
Member
jason10mm said:
Excellent! Thank you, this is the type of information that I will need.
RumpledForeskin said:I tried two whiskies this week, recommned by the bar keep at the pool hall, Had two singles neat of course. Some of the best hours of pool I've played. :
Good Good stuff. I enjoyed that alot more than Walker Black.
I also tried the 12 year Glenlevit at chilis. That was their "top top shelf" liquor. I almost laughed a little at the waitress. Don't ge tme wrong, that shit was delicious and smooth, but it was just funny she was calling a 12 yr whisky top shelf. =D
I'm a big fan of the Dalwhinnie, great finish.
The Glenlivet is what I use to introduce people to scotch. Extremely smooth in pretty much every respect.
"Smokey" scotches are usually the ones from Islay (pronounced "I-lah"). Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore (the least strong, IMHO), Ardbeg (my fav), Caol Ila, and a few others. If you see a single one in a bar count yourself lucky, if there are more than one, congratulate the bar owner.
Blends typically add some islay whiskey to improve the flavor, and I find that I can usually pick up more peaty/smokey flavors from more aged scotch from other areas.
Blends typically add some islay whiskey to improve the flavor, and I find that I can usually pick up more peaty/smokey flavors from more aged scotch from other areas.
Luvs me the Glenroths. Got some for a b-day present last year.
I've switched to bourbon as a cost saving measure as of late, but after reading this thread it will be scotch tonight!!!
I'm killing off some odd duck bottles I picked up. Blanking on the names ATM though. Highland Park 18 (x-mas gift) is yelling at me, and the Glenmorangie wine finished 15yr olds all want attention as well.
I still have some JW Blue I got 4 years ago at Duty Free for $120. I saw it going for $300(!!!) in a liquor store a few weeks ago! Gonna be savoring every drop of that bad boy
I've switched to bourbon as a cost saving measure as of late, but after reading this thread it will be scotch tonight!!!
I'm killing off some odd duck bottles I picked up. Blanking on the names ATM though. Highland Park 18 (x-mas gift) is yelling at me, and the Glenmorangie wine finished 15yr olds all want attention as well.
I still have some JW Blue I got 4 years ago at Duty Free for $120. I saw it going for $300(!!!) in a liquor store a few weeks ago! Gonna be savoring every drop of that bad boy
jason10mm said:Luvs me the Glenroths. Got some for a b-day present last year.
I've switched to bourbon as a cost saving measure as of late, but after reading this thread it will be scotch tonight!!!
I still have some JW Blue I got 4 years ago at Duty Free for $120. I saw it going for $300(!!!) in a liquor store a few weeks ago! Gonna be savoring every drop of that bad boy
I'm a bourbon guy that was converted to scotch by a friend. Still love my bourbon, but now I have my selection of scotches. I'll tell you what though, I got a bottle of Johnny Blue for my 30th birthday, and after having both, I'll take the Glenrothes over it any day of the week. However, both pale in comparison to the best scotch I've ever tasted:
http://www.thewhiskybarrel.com/cat-4-subcat-20-product-533
I volunteered as a server for a scotch-tasting event, and this was the marquee bottle on my table. The host told me to "familiarize" myself with all 13 of my bottles. Oh I familiarized myself alright. :lol All of the paying guests wanted a piece of that Port Ellen too, it was gone by the end of the night. The host was not happy. :lol
Soakedjunk
Member
Fantastic thread! /subscribed...
My current favorite single malt is a Macallan Cask Strength.
Some other favorites are the Caol Ila and Clynelysh.
My current favorite single malt is a Macallan Cask Strength.
Some other favorites are the Caol Ila and Clynelysh.
Were the cigars specifically paired up? I've never tried to match specific cigars to scotch, though I must admit the Dalmore Cigar Malt (they changed the name recently though) is a nice strong, rich scotch that can cut through the taste deadening effects of a good robusto
Hmmm, methinks we could have a nice cigar thread here as well.....
Hmmm, methinks we could have a nice cigar thread here as well.....
chaostrophy
Member
Has anyone tried the 12 year Lagavulin? My bottle of the 16 that I've been savoring for the past 3 years or so is finally almost gone. And I want another one, but it's just so expensive, the 12 is quite a bit cheaper even though it's cask strength.
hitsugi
Member
Mar_ said:
Best damn scotch in the world. It's hard to find though and as far as finding it in a cafe or bar... Well that's pretty much nil. I have found it in one cafe though in the Blue Mountains of all places (Australia), and it soon became one of my favourite eating places.
since this thread was resurrected, I'll just point out that Lagavulin tastes like pure charcoal / smoke.
it's very smooth, yes.. but if smoke isn't your thing - watch out for this one.
DietRob
i've been begging for over 5 years.
Yes. I'm so glad this thread has wise from it's gwave!
I've recently gotten into drinking Scotch and was searching around neogaf for a thread like this and recommendations. I mentioned to my wife that I wanted to start drinking scotch, mostly on a joke you know you see all these TV characters always drinking scotch. Well she ran with it and bought me several little sample bottles and put them in my xmas stocking.
My favorite so far was a Macallan 12 yo. I have no idea if that is 'good' scotch or not but it's been the best out of the bunch. I've still got a couple varieties of Johnny Walker (Red,Black) but from what I understand those are not single malt. Correct?
Anyway whoever bumped this thing thanks. Now I'm off to read up on GAF's recommendations.
I've recently gotten into drinking Scotch and was searching around neogaf for a thread like this and recommendations. I mentioned to my wife that I wanted to start drinking scotch, mostly on a joke you know you see all these TV characters always drinking scotch. Well she ran with it and bought me several little sample bottles and put them in my xmas stocking.
My favorite so far was a Macallan 12 yo. I have no idea if that is 'good' scotch or not but it's been the best out of the bunch. I've still got a couple varieties of Johnny Walker (Red,Black) but from what I understand those are not single malt. Correct?
Anyway whoever bumped this thing thanks. Now I'm off to read up on GAF's recommendations.
desertdroog
Member
Flo_Evans said:
Caol Ila is used in Johnny Black label as well as other blended Scotch's. Soley Caol Ila carries an Iodine finish, but definitely authentic for the secluded area's it hails from. It follows well with a supper of Barley soup, some thick black bread and farm fresh butter.
Make sure you do this on a very very cold day to really appreciate the context.
DietRob
i've been begging for over 5 years.
Flo_Evans said:
Cool thanks for the info. I was wondering about the single v. blended it seems some elites at my job snub their nose at the blended stuff when talking to them. Good to know that at least in your opinion they are not an indicator to quality.
The more you know..
This is the mini bottle I'll be having... well as soon as I get done posting.
I know I'm posting a blend in a single malt thread
What's the best way to drink Scotch? Personally I've been drinking mine up, or neat (without water or ice) but I know lots of people enjoy a Scotch on the rocks, or with a little bit of water or soda. How do you get the best flavor (generally I know it probably varies)?
Fenderputty
Banned
My wife may kill me, but I think I might have to go buy some of this on the way home.
:lol :lol
:lol :lol
Extollere said:
A splash of water helps to bring out the flavours and reduces the overwhelming smell from the alcohol but no ice. It "closes the whisky down". Room temperature is best to start with, and you can warm it with your hand while you hold the glass.
When you are nosing whisky you dilute it 50/50 but it's not as much fun to drink like that!
Skittleguy
Ring a Bell for me
I forget what it was exactly, but the liquor barn downtown has a $25,000 dollar bottle of something. I wonder how that would taste...
chaostrophy
Member
RbBrdMan said:
Right. Single malts aren't always better than blends, if they were there wouldn't be a market for the higher end blended Scotches. They're just more individualistic, there's tons of them to pick from for whatever kind of flavor you're looking for. And they're more interesting for enthusiasts to talk about because of the geography of the distilleries, varied factors involved in their creation, and so on.
Fenderputty
Banned
Skittleguy said:
No where close to being worth 25k. :lol
The most expensive bottle I buy is usually around 40-60 bucks and I only do it rarely for special occasions. Most of the time, I drink Makers and can get handles for 25 bucks of some pretty decent bourbon.
Just came home with a bottle of this and FUCK is this a whiskey. I've never had Whiskey where it felt buttery taking a sip, but this does. Definitely different than the Glenlivet 12 year, but damn good. Gotta toss in a cube of ice - not sure if I'm ready to take this neat right now :lol
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