I've recently acquired a taste for single malt scotch. It seems that I am particular to single malts from the Highlands, and I have recently enjoyed Highland Park 12 and 18, as well as Macallan 15. Does anyone else on board drink scotch? If so, do you have a recommendation?
Rob (who still enjoys beer, too)
I do enjoy a scotch here and there. when I do, it's single malt. very well aged.
but I live on beer budget... So good scotch is only special occasions
on the subject there is/was a bar in Adelaide, South Australia which has a couple of hundred single malts on tap.....woohoo
I am a long time single malt drinker my "inexpensive" favorite is Glenmorangie
Yeah, 'cheap' is a relative term in Scotch-speak. I'm partial to Islays (say 'EYE-luh' when you order one, so your Scottish bartender doesn't roll his eyes at you) myself, so I'm not much help on Highlands. That's the fun part about discovering Scotch: finding the ones you like. Granted, it's not a cheap hobby, but we're used to that, right?
A wise man once said: 'I spent all my money on whisky, women and cars. The rest I wasted.'
I'm starting to get into Scotch too, and bringing my girlfriend with me. I don't have money for the really good stuff. But for affordable Scotch, I've had really good luck with what McClelland's produces. Their also interesting because they have a whole series of single malts. They have a Lowland, Islay, Highland, and Speyside, so you can get a sense of the character of those different regions. I've also tried Glenlivet, and McClelland's is much better. I've heard similar things about Glenfiddich.
I know it's minor blasphemy, but I cam up with a really good cocktail involving Scotch, a bit of a variation on the Rob Roy. We're calling it the:
Nut Warmer
Shake with ice and serve in martini glass.
THREADJACK!!!
Hmm... Does scotch go bad? I recently inherited a couple of fifths of cutty sark from my great aunt, I think its at least 10 years old and probably closer to 20 or 30. Unopened, by the way. Also, how good is Cutty Sark?
mtn wrote: THREADJACK!!! Hmm... Does scotch go bad? I recently inherited a couple of fifths of cutty sark from my great aunt, I think its at least 10 years old and probably closer to 20 or 30. Unopened, by the way. Also, how good is Cutty Sark?
Dunno.....never had a bottle around long enough.
highland Park... Indeed!
alex wrote: A wise man once said: 'I spent all my money on whisky, women and cars. The rest I wasted.'
Words to live by.
I'm all about the Islay. My tip is the Ardbeg 10yr. Before the eye-rolling commences: "Rube! 10 yr?" consider that the distillery had been shuttered for ages and was reopened about 10 years ago so the 10s the good stuff. It's a peat-bomb. I also keep Lagavulin 16 and Laphroaig 10 in stock, and picked up some Macallan 12 the day the big layoff happened at work just in case.
It's fun to attend an all-hands meeting to listen to an interim CEO blowhard while you're 50% in the bag on single malt consumed in plain view in a Starucks cup.
Of all of the alcoholic beverages, you can't beat beer in the price:quality ratio. This is why I am really hesitant to try new spirits; I'm afraid that I will like them.
I don't know about highland style, I'm a lowland, peaty drinker.
mmmmm, Lagavulin.... I found Laphroig to be somewhat challenging, in a good way. Macallan is nice too.
motomoron wrote: It's fun to attend an all-hands meeting to listen to an interim CEO blowhard while you're 50% in the bag on single malt consumed in plain view in a Starucks cup.
I like your style, sir. Is your firm currently hiring?
mtn wrote: Hmm... Does scotch go bad?
Bad? No, I wouldn't say so. It can change, though, depending on the vessel. I got a crock of Tullamore Dew (granted, an Irish, which I don't really care for) from my aunt that was probably 30 years old, sealed. It's drinkable, but it doesn't taste much like whisky anymore. More like a honeyed-whisky liqueur. Not bad, but different. I'm inclined to think a regular glass bottle will hold up pretty well.
Jay_W wrote: I found Laphroig to be somewhat challenging, in a good way.
Heh. Whisky nerds call it 'the Swamp Thing.'
Talk about challenging: I had a dram of Mortlach (don't recall the vintage) a few months ago, and I'm not kidding when I say I got the barest whiff of rotting meat in the nose, waaay in the background. I'm sure it was the peat; likely they don't process it in the usual way, and it retains a lot of its composty traits. I must have spent a solid 45 minutes just smelling that dram, trying to put my finger on that smell. Incredibly interesting - and not, I should say, the tastiest Scotch I've ever had. It was all about the nose.
Anyway, my girlfriend drinks Laphroaig like water. Fortunately, she pulls in the big bucks, so she gets the tab those nights.
I enjoy a good single malt...
Oban 14 is a personal fave.
But being from Kentucky, I still hold a special place in my heart for Bourbon. And we also enjoy Irish Whiskey.
kevinSC1 wrote: I enjoy a good single malt... Oban 14 is a personal fave. But being from Kentucky, I still hold a special place in my heart for Bourbon. And we also enjoy Irish Whiskey.
Bourbon is what I drink if I have a choice. Kentucky heritage on moms side, and my dad likes it for whatever reason. Its in my genes.
Glenlivet French Oak Reserve is great
I'm going to have to try something new, I had mostly been a fan of whiskey until this past christmas when a few of us shared a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green on the train home. Now I kinda think they should re do the trains to be like they were in the 30's and 40's, where i could sit in a big chair with a cigar and a scotch and enjoy the ride home.
Had some scapa the other day.. It was OK. Not a giant fan.
mtn wrote: THREADJACK!!! Hmm... Does scotch go bad? I recently inherited a couple of fifths of cutty sark from my great aunt, I think its at least 10 years old and probably closer to 20 or 30. Unopened, by the way. Also, how good is Cutty Sark?
In general, no, but its not aging, its oxidizing. There is a common misconception. Many people assume that if you buy a 12-year old scotch and keep it on a shelf for 12 years that it is now a 24-year old scotch. That is NOT the case. Aging takes place in charred oak barrels where the alcohol dissolves caramels out of the boundary layer between the carbon and the raw wood. Once its bottled, its mostly inert. Provided it has no access to any outside air, it will taste the same in 2 days as it will 2 years. If its been opened, it will begin to oxidize. Liquor doesn't oxidize fast. I've had a bottle of jack daniels at the summer cabin for about four years and it tastes the same today as it did when I opened it.
My personal favorites tend to come from Islay; Lagavulin being the one that suits my pallette best. The Islays tend to have a more peaty presence. In fact, Lagavulin is treated to an extra peat infusion by bubbling the smoke from smoldering peat directly through the liquor. Its intensely complex and scotch purists will argue that its not for the newbie, but regardless of whether or not one can discern the subtle flavors that make it great, the bottom line is that you drink what you like.
Ardbeg is another very good Islay in my opinion; 90% of the flavor of Lagavulin at only half the price. This makes sense as Ardbeg and Lagavulin share the same roots; they are both of the Kildalton distillery along with Laphroaig.
I'm not a purist, and although I really enjoy the single-malts, there are some incredible blended scotches too. Johnnie Walker Blue Label is one of the finest scotches I've ever put in my mouth, but at the price they charge its not worth the investment to me.
Keep in mind also that age is not necessarily an indicator of flavor. I think of it like salting your food. More isn't better. You might like a touch of salt on your porterhouse, but a lot of salt on your fried chicken. Scotch is very much the same way. There is a 19- and 20-year Lagavulin that costs a good bit more, but I don't like it as much as the commonly-available 16-year. Don't worry if you find that you like the cheap stuff. Sometimes the lesser-aged scotches have more to offer.
I suggest you fire up the tastebuds and give them a try.
I tend to drink a mix of Highland and Speyside whiskeys. I'm a big fan of Blair Athol, which isn't exported, so I have to stock up whenever I get across the pond.
I am not so much of a Peat Drinker, but I do like Redbreast, an Irish one on occasion, it is the only one the wife will drink. Have another good bottle that I got for my birthday, but I will have to go look it up, cannot remember what it is off the top of my head.
ZOOMiata wrote: Rob (who still enjoys beer, too)
Then keep an eye out for a Scottish brew called "Old Engine Oil - Special Reserve." It's basically a stout that's been aged for 6 months in used single-malt wisky casks. Great stuff. 
When I was 7 or 8, I had a toothache and my father heard that Scotch helped. So he gave me a nice big double-shot, which I promptly vomited right back at him and then swore off alcohol until college. (apparently you rub it on the sore tooth Dad) Haven't been able to stomach the stuff since.
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