Sacrilege , Impure , adulterated sacrilege .

K

Kevin the grey

Joined
Aug 26, 2005
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Blended Scotch . Alright I,ve said it . I can almost hear the swish of kilts as long dead Scots turn over in their graves .

Is there any occasions where a single malt is not as good as a blended .
Oops , I can hear the slight rasp of Skean Dhubs left rusty in their sheaths for just such an offense to well tuned sensibilities .

Could a blended whiskey be superior to a fine single malt ?

I realise blending may be done to disguise inferiority . Could it not also bring out hidden character ?

While we are at it tell me what your favourite Scotch is and why . Water or neat .

Please don,t mention ice . I have my own sensibilities . L:O:L
 
Never developed a taste for it...wasted all of my time on Rye whiskey.
 
i prefer irish whiskey myself, in coffee, otherwise i used to make a mighty fine saddiqui out in saudi (aka 'moonshine'), no taste, no hangover, no remaining brain cells, 192 proof....mixes with anything. for normal guzzling i stick to guinness.
 
In any list of relevance this thread is near the bottom. But OK, Kevin, a blend can be as good or better than a straight scotch. I used to drink both. I don't remember what I knew then, and the scene has changed anyhow. Laphraog (sic) was my favorite or at least most affordable single malt scotch. There was a blend reputed to be great that I could not afford. Dewar's is OK. Of course, in a way, Drambue is nothing more than a blend, and it is ambrosia. Used to like a 'rusty nail'; shot of Dewars mixed with Drambue (sic)


munk
 
Saddiqui, huh? I knew a guy who used to brew that stuff. I don't recall the exact technique he used for finishing, but it involved storage on the rooftop (understandably hot in the Middle East) and large amounts of "Jack Daniels" woodchips meant for smoking. The resulting product tasted similar to bourbon.

I can't help you with the whiskey. I was originally a rum man and drank bourbon for some years, but since Cruzan has seen fit to start selling their blackstrap dark stateside, I'm back to rum.

I've developed a taste for arak as well but it's harder than hell to find around here. Ouzo is a more common but unsatisfactory substitute.
 
Nasty I had a bad experience with rye as a child oops I mean teenager oops I mean young adult of legal drinking age .

To this day if I go near a piece of rye bread I get ill . L:O:L

I like the irish whiskeys in coffee . My preference is Baileys though .

I,ll stick to palatable drinks like a good peaty Scotch . Save the moonshine for
when I go fishing . Once or twice a year . Of course Newfie Screech or Swish is another matter . This does not kill brain cells . It whitens the bone on the inside of your skull . There is simply nothing left but a hollow echo whenever you speak .
 
It used to gin & tonic, 7&7 or Jim & ginger. Now it's Chivas on the rocks. Most of my friends are beer drinkers (and cheap beer, at that). I've heard them call my drink of choice "and old man's drink", "hardcore" or "that'll put hair on your chest". So that's where all that hair came from.

Frank
 
For a single malt, Glenfiddich is worth the extra for me...However, since most mere mortals need something for their comfort that is affordable enough to enjoy regularly, may I suggest Dewars. Johnny Walker(Red or Black) is a favorite in Asia, and IMHO Chivas is overrated. Cutty Sark and most of the others may be cheaper but not as good. Dewars 'never varies'...tis true :D
 
I've got a camping trip coming up (just campgrounds, nothing wild) that will be a lot of meat and booze.

Frank
 
There are several more expensive brands, Haig & Haig pinch bottle comes to mind, but I don't think they have anything over Dewars. I really think you'll like it, but adding anything other than ice cubes IS sacriledge. Add soda, or seltzer and you might as well use the cheapest bar scotch you can get...you won't taste it anyway.
 
I love a good single malt. I'll buy a bottle once a year, so I spring for Macallan 12 yr or Lagavulin (sp?) 16 yr. Once in a great while, if I'm at a nice restaurant, I'll get a glass of Macallan 18 or 25 yr - yum! Congnac is great for an occasional treat as well. That and a good cigar.
 
M. Taylor said:
I love a good single malt. I'll buy a bottle once a year, so I spring for Macallan 12 yr or Lagavulin (sp?) 16 yr.
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Good choices with my favorite being The Macallan. There's a little known blend that's every bit as good as Chivas or maybe a tad better, IIRC the name of it is Bowden's. Since I rarely drink anything anymore I only drink the single malts unless it's someone else's whisky.;)
 
Dave Rishar said:
Saddiqui, huh? I knew a guy who used to brew that stuff. I don't recall the exact technique he used for finishing, but it involved storage on the rooftop (understandably hot in the Middle East) and large amounts of "Jack Daniels" woodchips meant for smoking. The resulting product tasted similar to bourbon....
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we'd store (age?) some in small (about 1 gallon) oak barrels that had been charred on the inside, turned a light golden color after a few weeks & tasted a bit like bourbon. lightly charred oak or other wood chips in plastic storage bottles works too & faster. storing them in the garage was good enough. get it too warm and the alchohol vapor quickly becomes explosive. we'd cut the 192 proof stuff with water down to about 90 proof right after the final pass thru the still to reduce the explosive potential.
wood barrels were real hard to come by, most people used wood chips.

the barrels or chips put back in a few of the contaminants that caused hangovers, so i preferred the clear myself. of course, those who made it not for themselves but for sale would cut corners, not distill it as much & that stuff tended to taste nasty as it had a lot of wood alchohol, glycols, and other crud that i'd distill out...

the 'clear' worked better in stuff like frozen margharita's, in tonic, coke (pepsi in saudi), etc. gin & scotch 'non-alchoholic flavourings' could easily be found if you preferred the stuff flavoured. for a country where booze is highly illegal, it was real easy to buy 50lb sacks of sugar and 1lb tins of yeast! (we always said we baked a lot of cookies and they'd laugh, as we never bought any flour, booze is an open secret there amoungst the expats (and some of the saudi's), just don't get caught.) me and the wife only made about 3-4 gallons of 90 proof a month, one gallon went to a warrant on the us army base at the airport, i'd get a case of heineken in return. one went to friends, the rest was party time. lotsa dinner parties & barbacues there.

i'd bought a 50% share in the still for $1500 in 1981 & sold it for $2000 when i left, along with the barrels, mash containers, hot plates, etc.

for those interested here's a link to 'The Blue Flame' which was our bible on making good hootch. pgs. 17 & 18 cover 'aging'
 
One word: Lagavulin

Though I recently tried another Islay...McClellands (which is actally Bowmore re-bottled) and for half the price, it's better than half as good.
 
Edward Teach said:
One word: Lagavulin
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That is the one word. Smoky; culture in a glass, neat. :cool:

No, not in a while either. I'm like 15 months dry and liking it. :thumbup:

Money's better spent on milsurps. If single, on wild women!!! :p


Mike :foot:
 
Ad Astra said:
Money's better spent on milsurps. If single, on wild women!!!
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Too true. But when the wild woman is drinking, what is your poison of choice?

I have a question. I have not yet developed a taste for the finer things in life which is why I like my whisky/rum with Coke. :barf: I know, I know. But I realize that the day will come when I have to start drinking socially and I refuse to drink wine. I'm not yet ready to drink single malts though and will plan on starting with the more pedestrian Johnny Walker. I know that there are four different labels--red, black, blue, and green. Can someone explain the differences to me?

For something that'll put hair on your chest try a shot of Three Wisemen--Jack, Jim, and Johnny. :D
 
Gentlemen , there is a fine Irish pub here with storytelling every monday night .
All you have to do is stand near the telephone and listen to the wild stories being told why the person hasn,t made it home yet .

They have Scotch there from 13 to 40 dollars an ounce . I told Mr. bartender that it was my Birthday and money was no option . Unfortunately when 40 dollars an ounce rolls around money becomes an option .

I,ll be going back for storytelling night soon . Maybe my options will have changed by then .

I will try Dewars as I have never had any . That Lagavulin sounds good . Is it a peaty Scotch ?
 
That Lagavulin sounds good. Is it a peaty Scotch?
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And how! It's like drinking smoke. That and you also get a hint of brine and just the tiniest hint of iodine due to Islay being an island.
 
Edward Teach said:
And how! It's like drinking smoke. That and you also get a hint of brine and just the tiniest hint of iodine due to Islay being an island.
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Tempting but......... no . L:O:L

Actually I may still try it in spite of its attributes .
 
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