As we have a beer thread and a wine thread....lets go with the intelluectual drink of choice...scotch.. It is early in the afternoon and I am done with school for the week.....time for a Glenfiddich...aged 15 years to perfection. Another good scotch that I recommend is the Dalmore cigar scotch. Anyone else have any favorites?
Glenlivet, Macallan, Glenmorangie, Laphroaig. Each has its own time and place. 15 year Glenfiddich is a quality drink. Scotch question. With or without ice and how many cubes if 'with?'
If I having a few scotches I tend to add some an icecube to it....just to thin it out for my "future wellbeing". But usually I am a straightup kind of guy.
Neat. The only time I have ice with scotch is if I'm drinking a rusty nail. And how. It's probably the peatiest tasting scotch there is. I love it.
My preference in Scotch whiskies are the single malts such as Macallan, Lagavulin, Glenlivet, Talisker etc. Macallan is regarded by many as the "Rolls Royce of single malts" I would not refuse if offered a shot of the 12 year old Macallan but my favourite is the 16 year old Lagavulin.
As I recall, Laphroaig is like licking a medicine cabinet. In a good way. I always keep coming back to Highland Park. And can we have a moment of silence to the real Michael Jackson who passed away two years ago, and whose Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch (among many other titles) I'm quite sure rests on many of our bookshelves. Oh, and no ice.
Here is the menu of a tasting session I visited when in Scotland:- Appetizer Smoked Salmon on Toast Points Tastings Glenlivet 21 year old Glenfarclas 21 year old Macallan 25 year old Springbank 21 year old Soup Cock-o-Leekie Soup Entree Venison with Green Peppercorn-Whisky Sauce New potatoes and green beans Dessert Cranachan and Scottish Shortbread
Scotch-No thank you, I've never aquired a taste for it, I find it undrinkable. Bourbon-Yes please, This is truly what God would drink if given a choice.
The single malt scotch is an acquired taste and it takes time to become accustomed to, especially for a bourbon drinker. I've tried bourbon but I much prefer a single malt scotch because for me it has the right "bite" I find bourbon to be much too sweet for my taste.
I think you hit it right on the head, the scotch "bite" for me is too dry and sharp, I like a rounded liquor, smooth on the edges as it were.
When I was about 21 I read an article about drinking single malt whisky. It recommended drinking it at room temperature with a splash of water. The idea being that you could experience all its flavours and at the same time you wouldn't be overwhelmed by the concentration. So by the time I turned 22 I had sampled a number of single malts and the very first one I tried was Glenfeddich. I had already acquired the habit of adding a splash of water to all my single malts. I eventually tried the 16 year old Lagavulin and discovered it was a classic among all the others I sampled. The distinctive peaty aroma was rich and smooth. I realised it was a wonderful complex whisky with an extraordinary lingering finish. I regard Lagavulin as a classic among single malt whiskies and highly recommend it.
I used to be a bourbon drinker, but now I find bourbons too sweet. If you like a more balanced flavor, I would recommend blended scotch. You might enjoy Dewar's 12-year-old. My current favorite bourbon is Woodford Reserve. It has a smokier flavor, almost reminiscent of scotch. You can use it as a bridge toward scotch enjoyment. As for this thread, where's the Oban love???
If I had a choice between the 14 year old Oban and the 12 year old Macallan I'd choose the Oban because of its touch of smokiness and peat taste which resembles the Islay Malts such as Lagavulin and Laphroaig.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCZra07ZcS8"]YouTube - Types of Whiskey : Serving Scotch Whiskey[/ame]
I generally lean towards the Highland style (with Glengoyne being a particular favorite), but I do love Lagavulin! Not my favorite, but when I'm out and in the mood for Lagavulin but the place doesn't have it ( which happens disappointly often), I find Oban an entirely satisfactory substitute.
And so you should. It's one of my favourite single malts. I'm also a big lover of Dalwhinnie. As well as Highland Park, other island malts that I really like are Bruichladdich and Talisker. My friends father recently gave me a bottle of Glenmorangie's 'The Lasanta' which is their extra matured sherry cask single malt. It goes down rather well. When it comes to blends I've always preferred Stewarts Cream of the Barley.
Highland Park is one of my favorites, the other being, um, my avatar. If any of y'all are traveling internationally you should pick up the HP 21. It's only available in duty-free shops and, while that might sound like a gimmick (and it kind of is, I guess), it's recognized widely as a wonderful whisky. I love it. But be forewarned, they are reducing the strength from 47.5% to (I think) 40% soon, which is a real shame.
My 3 favourite single malts in order of preference are:- Lagavulin (16 year old), Talisker (10 year old) and Ardbeg (10 year old).....all with peaty overtones. So a beginner, accustomed to a malt as mild as Glenfeddich, could be turned off. Of course there is always the true and tried 12 year old Macallan which fills the mouth with a nice well rounded flavour.