Whisky / Whiskey
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Like TR, I find The Macallan a decent drop and also like TR I've not tried the 40 year stuff. I also like Abelour 12 yr. Glenlivet I find is an easy drink too. If you like the peaty taste of the Islay malts Lagavulin is a good entry point, not as out and out peaty as Laphroaig.
However no matter which malt you are drinking you should try it with just the merest splash of water, it opens it out beautifully. I was always a drink it neat bloke but after a visit to a whisky drinking club in Edinburgh I was convinced.
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@Catogrande said in Whisky / Whiskey:
Like TR, I find The Macallan a decent drop and also like TR I've not tried the 40 year stuff. I also like Abelour 12 yr. Glenlivet I find is an easy drink too. If you like the peaty taste of the Islay malts Lagavulin is a good entry point, not as out and out peaty as Laphroaig.
However no matter which malt you are drinking you should try it with just the merest splash of water, it opens it out beautifully. I was always a drink it neat bloke but after a visit to a whisky drinking club in Edinburgh I was convinced.
I was the same. It was after going to the Scottish Whisky Society in Leith back in the early 90s that I was taught. They used to have bottles of water from Loch Maree to splash in.
It was also partly because most of the stuff they had was cask strength which is higher in alc. than your average bottle.
If you like the Macallan Sherry Cask singles then hunt out some of the special wood finishes from Glendronach. Their Sherry Cask one used to be a favourite of mine but they dont do it any more. They have moved on to more specific things (I guess to be different) including a Marsala finish that sounds yummy.
I'm a bit peeved that I only discovered this http://www.timeout.com/london/blog/make-your-own-whisky-at-chivas-regals-pop-up-bar-on-brick-lane-100316 by seeing it around the corner from work. Like everything good in London it sold out real quick. £15 for an hour of tasting singles then making your own blend to take home! Bargain! -
@Tregaskis, another good point to work from to discover what you enjoy is Highland Park (Original).
If I could only have 3 Whiskys to showcase they would be Highland Park then Macallan (Highland) and Laphroig (Islay) to show what it's like either side of that spectrum.@Catogrande funny thing is that Laphroig and Lagavulin are made to the same recipe using the same ingredients and equipment. Back in the day Lagavulin built next to Laphroig, headhunted their main distiller, copied the notes regarding the stills (these include every dent etc) and set up in direct competition. I think the only difference is a water source from a slightly different place.
The iodine like tang you get from these two (and not so much from other Islay whiskies) is due to the casks being stored outside and exposed to the salty sea spray) -
@Crucial That sounds brilliant but Christ knows what my blend would have been like after an hour of tasting single malts!
I didn't know the history between Lagavulin and Laphraoig but given that history you'd think they would be more alike. I have to say I find Lagavulin the more approachable.
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Yeah, they are certainly different and it shows how much something like slightly different water (bear in mind their springs are probably side by side as well) can make.
Lagavulin used to be a favourite of mine but sadly I trained my brain to reject peaty whiskies a few years ago by absolutely hammering a bottle of Talsiker the missus brought back duty free on a birthday. The hangover was so wicked I found that afterward I really struggled with anything from the West Coast.
The good news is that I have been on a long term rebuilding programme using Highland Park to get my strength back. -
@taniwharugby said in Whisky / Whiskey:
@Chris-B. I always notice JUra when I am looking (bottle shape) but have never grabbed it, might have to next time I get a bottle.
Certainly worth a try - I think they describe it as "light and delicate" and as far as Scotches go, that's a good description. I daresay hardcore Scotch drinkers might think it's insipid.
Actually if you're a fan of Drambuie, you'd probably like Jura Origin.
It's really nothing like Drambuie, but it's probably closer than any other Scotch I've tried - if that makes sense.
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@Duluth said in Whisky / Whiskey:
@MN5 said in Whisky / Whiskey:
One word. Laphroig.
Also remember Whisky - Scottish....Whiskey - everywhere else.
Lecture people on spelling.. fuck up the spelling of Laphroaig..
it was my phone's fault. My spelling is immaculate.
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Awesome idea for a thread. Have a bit to add.
I spent years drinking the standard stuff - Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich etc etc. But then over the last couple of years, have started to diversify a bit. Have had some cracking stuff. Have generally found that it's a case of the more you spend, the better it is. Given that I probably average around 3-5 glasses per month, theres no longer a case for the cheap stuff. Best I have found:
Kilchoman Cask Strength - peaty as fuck, but unbelievably smooth and complex
Cadenhead 27 year Small Batch - easily the best whisky I've had. Tastes change from front to back, everybody who calls themself a whisky drinker, needs to try this.Slightly different story - was out to dinner with some friends a couple of months back, and some of their friends turned up. One of the guys was a bit of a loudmouth American from Nashville. Think Seth Rogen lookalike, 6ft 5, 250-270 pounds type. Massive, loud, and had a few drinks, so a bit obnoxious. Anyway, we were having a cheeky apertif and this bloke says "I know whisky, it's my drink I bet I can tell you what it is". So, I'm sitting there thinking whatever cockhead, just shut the f up and chill out. Anyway, he picks up the glass, smells it and says his estimate of area. Then tastes it swirls and then guesses the brand, and then age, and says it's special edition, not the standard.
He absolutely FUCKING NAILED IT. I was blown away. We had a long chat afterwards and he talked about the classes he'd done, what he looks out for and why he's so passionate about it. Really interesting stuff and now a pretty good mate.
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@MajorRage said in Whisky / Whiskey:
.Slightly different story - was out to dinner with some friends a couple of months back, and some of their friends turned up. One of the guys was a bit of a loudmouth American from Nashville. Think Seth Rogen lookalike, 6ft 5, 250-270 pounds type. Massive, loud, and had a few drinks, so a bit obnoxious. Anyway, we were having a cheeky apertif and this bloke says "I know whisky, it's my drink I bet I can tell you what it is". So, I'm sitting there thinking whatever cockhead, just shut the f up and chill out. Anyway, he picks up the glass, smells it and says his estimate of area. Then tastes it swirls and then guesses the brand, and then age, and says it's special edition, not the standard.
He absolutely FUCKING NAILED IT. I was blown away. We had a long chat afterwards and he talked about the classes he'd done, what he looks out for and why he's so passionate about it. Really interesting stuff and now a pretty good mate.
That's a great story!! I was waiting for the end of how you showed him up, but no.
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@MajorRage so went from douche to champ in the space of a shot of Scotch
Awesome...I'll never be in that league, and those you mentioned sound out of my price range, I just likes me a drop, not a shitty one, but something decent and my wife wont kill me if she finds out how much it cost!