That’s what this thread is about. Not bourbon, whiskey, blended whisky, lager, stout, what ever. Just Scotch Single Malt Whisky.
What’s new for you whisky lovers out there? I know we have quite a few around. What’s the latest?
I’ve been reading and posting on this wonderful website called http://www.whisky-distilleries.info/ . This site is french in origin but has almost everything translated into english. The problem is that there aren’t that many english speaking contributors. I find it an exellent site to share your own impressions and tasting notes and read other peoples, so I hope you all check in and start sharing. It has lots of good info as well.
You’ll find the notes people has posted in English here: http://www.whisky-distilleries.info/VosNotesListe_EN.shtml
I’m the largest contributor, and that does say something (not about me but about the lack of people contributing). So join in, don’t be shy. It’s good fun and very interesting.
Glenmorangie was my favourite for years.
Talisker is good too, but a bit too strong for a regular tipple.
Nothing wrong with Glenfiddich…
Laphroaig very agreeable, but on the strong side.
But I can’t make up my mind when I’m in the shops, so I’m back to Bushmills. (Irish).
I like Talisker best, Laphroaig is a close second. I used to be a fan of Glenmorangie but it’s not “peaty” enough for me. Never liked Glenlivet or Glenfiddich.
But I so rarely drink the stuff that by the time I get through a bottle of 12-year-old single malt, it’s close to 20 years old. It can take me 7 or 8 years to finish a bottle, even if I share with friends. I love it but rarely think of drinking it.
DJ’s Bathtub. I make it in an old castiron tub out in the backyard. Last week’s brew was pretty good. At least three pigeons flying over it dropped dead out of the sky (I’m going to add three pigeons on the bottom of the label for that batch).
One Christmas my sister-in-law sent me a little pack of half-a-dozen “samples” of single malt, in their own bottles. The bottles looked suspiciously similar, apart from the labels. The whiskies were different colours, but that proved nothing.
I carefully cleansed my palate and tasted them together.
There was no difference. They were all the same whisky.
When I was a teenager I was babysitting at a house where I noticed they had a bottle of Scotch. I had seen people drinking it in movies and read books where they drank it and I figured it must be some pretty wonderful-tasting stuff.
Although I knew it was very wrong (I have since forgiven myself), I decided I just had to take advantage of the situation to finally find out what Scotch tasted like. So I went in the bathroom (I guess the children were in bed, I hope so!) and poured a small amount in a glass and drank it down. Yow! What shock and pain! What spitting out into the sink and rinsing mouth out! I couldn’t believe this was what people loved so much. It hurt! It was worse than the worst medicine I had ever tasted. I was so amazed that this was what people were drinking. Like all those elegant people in the movies, how could they just sit there so calmly sipping this stuff that burned your mouth? I really was intensely puzzled by this but there was no one I could ask without letting on I had sipped some Scotch when I was babysitting. Just another strange mystery of adult behavior.
Taste? TASTE??? If any part of your mouth is still working you’ve put in too much Coke.
I can’t imagine what it was you tasted. The whole think about Scotch is how smooth, almost tasteless it is, cool and soothing, but with a bit of an aftershock.
Ardbeg, particularly the ten year old or the Uigedeal expressions. Highest phenolic content of any whisky, ferocious stuff. Been my favourite for a good few years now.
Longrow - the peaty version of Springbank. Absolutely nectar at 14yrs.
By the way, did you know that Springbank is the only distillery to do all their own malting in floor maltings? No computers at their place either. Everything in house the old way. My kind of lads.
Bruichladdich - excellent stuff in a million different expressions. Every time Jim MacEwan makes a cask he likes I think he bottles it. Also I am pro Bruichladdich, because the last time I was there he asked me if I would play a few tunes for some visitors few months back. I knock out three sets of tunes and he hands me a bottle of malt, so I am fully backing Bruichladdich as a place friendly to musicians.
It’s an acquired taste, for sure. I didn’t start drinking it till I was in my late 30s, mostly because I didn’t grow up around people who drank it. A friend brought me a bottle of Glen Grant from the duty-free shop in London and my love for the stuff was born..
No matter how snotty some people get about it, you’ll find an infinitely interesting way to enjoy it is with varying amounts of as fresh of spring water as you can find. I watched a fella in London who started out with a straight shot and slowly, very slowly, diluted it with water with each successive drink, stretching out the enjoyment for a while. To me, the good stuff is so flavorful, that even mostly water with a tinge of it is enjoyable drinking… You can always start over with it straight, but hydration is important, too…
I’ve had all the ones mentioned above, and a few more. The aged-in-former-sherry-cask treated stuff, like MacCallan is a good intro for many. To me, Glenlivet is somewhat bland on the continuum. Laphraoig is sorta like shock therapy if yer not used to the smoky flavor… Most sensibly recoil upon first taste, but after a while, why, it’s right smart stuff…
I don’t know about in Scotland, but the price of whisky went up big time during the 90s in the US because demand went way up. I keep hoping it will get unpopular again so I can buy and drink more. Now, I have to pay at least $22 or so, to get a decent 12 yr-old on sale.. Those years really matter too. Once in a while, a 10 yr-old is okay, but you can really taste the years if you get the chance to compare a 12 and an 18 in the same label, for example… The price reflects it, too, unfortunately. A $30 bottle of 12, will be $50-60 in 18. Too rich for my thrifty self.
Tasteless
That’s probably the worst blasphemy I’ve ever heard, but I think you had good intentions.
To me, whisky is soothing, smooth, at times a spiritual sort of feeling. It’s a whole world of flavours and impressions. So I agree with everything you said, except… tasteless. hehe
The 10 y.o. Ardbeg is one of the whisky’s I’ve tried to review on that site. I like it, but I feel like there’s more to it than what I’ve discovered so far. Will get back to that bottle later.
I need to get my hands on a bottle of Longrow as well. That’s been on my wishlist for a long time.
Are you sure that Springbank is the only one? I thought Highland Park also did that, but maybe they don’t do all the malting themselves. I’m pretty sure they do some floor malting and smoking.
I’ve read that the Springbank distillery is the most traditional one. No chill filtering, no artificial colouring, no fancy tech-stuff and everything is done right there at the distillery, from malting to maturing. I also find that very appealing. I have yet to taste a dram of Springbank or Longrow though.
Acctually, I heard from an old scottish gentleman that it is THE Glenlivet. Apperantly very important not to miss the “the”. He was very persistent about it.
The Glenlivet was my favourite whisky, and it’ll probably always have a special place in my heart since that’s the one that introduced me to single malt. I haven’t tasted it for years though so I have no idea how I would rate it these days.
I still have a weak spot for those creamy Speyside malts like Macallan and Cragganmore so I would probably still rate it very highly.
I agree. If you want the whisky to grow you need to water it. That’s what I’ve been taught at least. I usually try a little zip of the straight dram, but I usually prefer it with a little water added. The strong alcohol in the straight dram seems to close down some of the flavours.
The worst I can imagine is people chilling it down with ice. I always keep a bottle of Grants or Famous Grouse or something at home for people who do that. Why give them a fine whisky to drink if they’re going to ruin the flavour with ice? It’s fine if they like the taste of whisky on the rocks, but if they do that they might as well drink Grants, because they won’t be able to tell the difference anyway.
And, Good Lord Amar! That is so beautiful. So very, very beautiful.
Why don’t you start posting your thoughts on that website I wrote about earlier? I’d love to hear some of your impressions.
)…I’m just wondering why amar hasn’t chimed it yet?
hehe