I never did acquire the taste for Scotch. My background in the world of drink is long and experienced. Family are big CAMRA fans (so lots of real ale festivals as a kid - including samples). I love beer. We also used to do budget trips to France (so lots of vineyards as a kid - including samples). I love wine. Also used to make my Mum's 6pm G&T from 10 (always could make a mean one of those - including samples). I love G&T. Occasionally poured her a whiskey when she was cooking (much less often). This I also tried and found it to be beyond me. I can't drink scotch. And all of the above probably explains why I stuck with Chelsea as a kid throughout the 80's - I must have been drunk - it's the only explanation
Glad you appreciate it. Give it a try. You might acquire a taste. It takes time. Make sure it's not a blended Scotch!
hmm, never could go for scotch myself. only, when backed by a guinness, or murphy's, then i could shoot some down. domestics i can drink: PBR, don't know why. and yup, that was on purpose eddie. domestics i can't drink: bud, bud light, southpaw, miller products, sam adams(for some reason almost all microbrews taste like sam adams to me, along with every variation of sam adams tasting like the last sam adams i drank) yuengling, etc etc etc micro's i can drink: landshark lager doghead fish carolina blonde(occasionally) red hook esb & summer ale pete's wicked ale(the original) imports: sapporo kirin ichiban tsingtao franziskaner bohemia negra modelo presidente(dominican, very hard to find round here) chimay
Oh, I don't need to aquire it...I love it already. I just really Like the Johnny Walker Labels (except for RED). But I won't ever turn down a single-malt, my friend, never.
Russian beer: 1. Jigulevskoe 2. Samarskoe 3. Baltika- probably the most popular one now. There are 9 kinds (#1-9 actually) and 1 lager.
I see you what you are keen to as far as taste "buds" (no pun inteanded here, "buddy" - again, none intended). You might like the weissebier. I don't - prefer a red lager or a dark beer instead and occacionally a pils I have had "Presidente" in Panama or Costa Rica unless it was their own version of it which is very likely. As far as grouping Sam Adams with Bud and Miller - I know it is your opinion but that's a no-no.
There are many more, but those should get you started. I think Baltika is your best bet to get in Maine.
Good for you lad! Johnny Walker Blue ranks up there with the best blends. As you know I'm a single malt person and sometimes I get carried away and am a little harsh on the blends. But I am aware there is a new trend in blends and the one's that are being introduced today are not the same as our grandads' blended Scotches. Are you familiar with the Johnnie Walker Blue Label King George V? That is an expensive whiskey. I understand it costs $599.99 for a 750 ml bottle!
I've developed a taste for IPA recently. I like Spanish/Mexi style lagers, too, as well as a lot of European and Asian lagers - stuff like Grolsch, Cobra, etc. Also a Chinese one I tried, but can't remember the name of now. Fairly simple, mainstream stuff, but nice to my pallette. Scotch is a big no-no, but KDB - double G+T is the drink of the gods.
The world's most expensive single malt, the last surviving bottle from the Nun's Island Distillery in County Galway will set you back 100,000 pounds A bottle of Glenfiddich Rare Collection 1937 (one of only 61 the cask yielded) fetched $20,000 at auction in New York. At the Old Homestead steak house in the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City they’re pouring the 1926 Macallan Fine & Rare at $3,300 a dram [$38,000 a bottle]. Macallan Whisky is my fave tipple - 1972 a mere $2000 a bottle. Jura is also nice.
I'll keep an eye out for that one, but if I see this I'm buying a case My brewmaster friend tells me it's the benchmark for all IPA's. Beeradvocate rates Pliny A+. My favourite so far (the Stone Ruination is a solid A). Becky's favourite is an anniversary beer (the Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout) and also tastes great.
There has been a marked decline in Ireland's distilling breweries, of which Nun's Island Distillery is a typical example. Rare whiskies from these now defunct Irish distilleries can command very high prices as the example you quoted which is not a Scotch whisky. My reference to the Johnnie Walker Blue label was to point out it is a blended Scotch whisky as distinct from a Single Malt Scotch. As I've previously stated my preference is The Macallan. The top rated Single Malts are...Macallan, Glenlivet, Laphroaig, Talisker, Lagavulin, Highland Park to mention a few. I have a friend who's favourite is Drumguish. But everyone to his/her own taste!
I may have mentioned this before, but Samuel Smith's make the very best of any kind of beer you might think of.