This is a Scotch Thread

Diamond Dog said:
Okay folks I made the splash into trying Scotch whiskey. It was by chance actually, I was at a concert with the wife and they did not have any of the bourbon I usually drink. I was not in the mood for wine so I saw they had a bottle of Glenlivet 12. I tried and I liked.

I was thinking about getting the highly talked about laphroig but it was $99.99!!! I am a simple man and this is just a tad out of reach at the present. So I ask you knowledgable folks what are some bottles of Scotch worth a try under the 100 dollar mark?

Thinking about trying Johnnie Walker Black-any suggestions?

Is this Chivas talked about Chivas Regal? What is Chivas Regal anyway?

What is the appropriate way of drinking scotch? With ice? With splash of water? Or just neat?

I appreciate anyone's input on these questions as I am trying to beef up my knowledge on the Scotch whiskey in general. So far I find them quite interesting. Thanks!
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You should be able to find Laphroaig 10 for around $50 a bottle. Be aware that it is very peaty and you may find it overpowering since you're new to scotch.

Some good choices to start with would be Macallan 12, Balvenie (Doublewood), Glenfiddich 15 (Solara), Dalwhinnie and Dalmore. A wise way to do it without spending a lot of money would be to find a store that stocks lots of the mini bottles and buy those first to get a general idea of what you like. There are 100s of different scotches out there, so I'm sure you can find something that fits your taste and budget.

I would skip the JW Black, but that's my opinion. If you want to try a less expensive whisky that's a blend I would suggest Famous Grouse instead.

Yes, Chivas is Chivas Regal. It's a blended scotch. There are three types of scotch; single malt (whisky from one distillery), vatted malt (a mix of different single malts) and blends (a mixture of single malt and other grain whiskys). Blends are usually cheaper, most people consider single malts more 'pure'.

The appropriate way is the way you like it best. Most people drink it neat or with just a drop or two of water. A scotch drinker will likely cringe if they see you add ice....but in the end, you're the one drinking it so if you want ice then add ice.

These might help...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_whisky

Dr. Whisky

The Scotch Blog

The Peat Freak
 
Diamond Dog said:
I saw they had a bottle of Glenlivet 12. I tried and I liked.
I was thinking about getting the highly talked about laphroig but it was $99.99!!!
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Congrats on being hooked.

The Glenlivet 12 is a good single malt scotch - very well balanced - often a benchmark for others.

So much so, that you may notice that a lot of other (non-Glenlivet) single malt scotches have their names with "Glenivet" appended - that's how popular it is.

Laphroaig 10 the most commonly available, is closer to $40. $100 sounds more like the 25 year old.
A word of caution about Laphroaig - it is very distinctive Islay malt - with strong - sometimes overwhelming peat, seaweed and iodine - which some consider "medicinal" - it's one of those scotches people either love or hate almost with no middle ground.

Staying with Islay malts - Lagavulin 16 is my personal favorite - although there are malts that may be said to be similar - for me - it's simply incomparable.

BTW - Johnnie Walker is still Scotch - they are blended scotches - and not single malt scotches. Although in the company of single malts blended scotches are often look down upon - it should be noted that at one time pre-1960's the ONLY Scotches that were commercially available worldwide - for centuries - were blended Scotches - single or pure malts were considered too rough, and skillful blending was required to get the right balance. So commercially available single malt scotches are only a recent phonmenon - less than 50 years old. However since the introduction of single malt scotches - blends have fallen from grace and are commonly considered second tier.

It might be of interest that single malt scotches - are actually "blends" - of different ages of the same scotch - so there is "blending" going on - only ones that are specifically marked single cask are not blends - even single vintage may be blends - as they may be blended from different casks of the same vintage.....

--
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Diamond Dog said:
A guy at work was telling me about the Johnnie Walker Blue $$. He said the same, that JW is a blend of whiskey not a pure "scotch" The description of it sounds absolutely lovely! Forgive my ignorance but is absinthe illegal? I vaguely remember watching commentary on that drink on the xtra footage on the From Hell dvd with Johnny Depp.
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Absinthe has recently become legal in the US again provided some silly rules are followed. It is even being distilled here again.

Btw...any real absinthe drinker would never light the absinthe on fire...doesn't do anything but burn off the alcohol you paid for
 
To be considered a "single malt", all the whisky need only be from the same distillery, not from the same barrel, nor even be of the same age.

Of course, a blend is simply a mix of several whiskies from different distilleries. Most of them include a bit of one of the islays for an extra kick.

For those inquiring about Chivas, the major malt that gives it it's taste is Strathisla. If you like Chivas, you may wish to try it as a malt.

As far as Absinthe is concerned, IIRC one of the major ingredients in the original drink was datura. This component is certainly still illegal in the US and Europe.

I have no idea whether or not the modern Absinthe without the datura resembles the original in taste.
 
I've been on a streak of Islays lately, starting out with the Caol Ila 12yr., and just recently finishing off a bottle of Ardbeg 10. I saw a bottle of the Caol Ila 18yr. today and decided to try it out. I must say that after the awesome complexity of the Ardbeg I am a bit dissapointed in the 18 year old Caol Ila. Perhaps its age has mellowed it out too much for my taste but it just doesn't have much else to it besides some peat and orange. I tend to like my whiskies on the harsher side though (especially bourbon) so this may account for my distaste. I think I actually prefer the youth of the 12yr. over the 18, and both of them behind the Ardbeg which is probably my favorite scotch thus far.

My list thus far.
1. Ardbeg 10
2. Caol Ila 18
3.Macallan 12
4.Caol Ila 12
5.Highland Park 12
6. Glenlivet 15 (french oak)

So out of the 3 Islay malts I've had, I think I can draw a simple conclusion that extra age does NOT benefit their smoke and peat.

Now to save up for that Lagavulin....

Edit: After a little more time with the 18yr. I've decided the aging may have added some benefit to the scotch after all. Enough to consider it superior in form to its younger brother as well as the Macallan 12 yr (only because I seem to love Islays)
 
Scotch..
My daughters brought me back from Europe last week:
Laphroaig 12 Oloroso Sherry cask
Talisker Distillers Edition Double Matured 1991

I have others on hand. I recommend those of you who dont have much experience, search out a Scotch bar and have a few different tastes of the single malts. Each one is different.

And if you want to immerse yourself then go here and start reading:
http://www.maltmadness.com/
 
Glenlivet Nadurra 16 yr.

HOLE-E-CRAP! While being a rather good Scotch minus some peat, this is one hell of a kick in the nuts at nearly 120 proof (59.7% Alc.). Knob Creek Bourbon is usually what I refer to as having some kick, and tonight I'm sipping it to cut back! At least I now understand the meaning of Cask Strength, and why it may be preferable if you need to feel shnockered in a big bad way and fast! I really can't say much else about it other than this really does feel like what a "natural" Scotch should be. It will be a long time before I finish the bottle off. I usually stock my flask with harsh stuff (small package, big bite) and this will be ideal for keeping it tastey while preserving the hit.
 
macdo said:
Love Islay malts - they seem to polarise people and if someone else thinks they taste like turpentine then good, there's more for me.
Laphroaig for sipping of an evening - wonderful.
I have two bottles of Lagavulin on the go at he moment, 12 & 16 year old - fascinating to compare. Somehow the flavour of this one stays with me for ages, in a good way.
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Ahh someone who thinks like me.
The Laphoaig cask strength may be the best ever. Their 30 year old is amazingly smooth with the Islay peat bite. I am planning to get a bottle of 40yr old later this year.

Nothing could be better!
 
Danger Danger Will Robinson.

of course, everything is getting more expensive, gas, food, etc. but i've have been seeing price jumps of 10-25 dollars in the last three months pretty soon Glenlivet 12 will hit $50 in our market. and there is no indication that prices will settle soon. so buy now because it may cost you 8%-33% more later.

Not to be sensationalist or anything.

We had a Bruichladdie (which took a $10 price hike across the board) tasting last week. I got to taste the 12yr ist edition, rocks, carnoustie links, 18yr 1st edition, Infinity 3rd edition, and the 3D3 Nori Campbell.

i liked the rocks, carnousti, and the nori campbell. i also liked the 18yr and the infinity, but not enough to justify their price (I actually like the rocks better than both). I also did not find the Nori Campbell to be as interesting as its predecessor the Monie Mohr.
 
Blessings upon you for the valuable insider advice!!

I shall make a small but important pilgrimage tomorrow morning. :)
 
there is a possible upside to this for single malt lovers.

while scotch is getting overpriced very quickly. look for malts from Japan, Australia and the US to start filling the price/quality gap. For instance Suntory's Yamakazi 12 at at $40 still beats the crap out of Glenlivet (which will move to $45 in june here) even after a $10 price hike (on suntory). I would also put Clear Creek's (Oregon) McCarthy's malt ($35) up against many Islay malts. Clear creek also puts out many other malts that don't make it out my way but have gotten good press. Anchor Steam, and St George spirits also make good quality low cost malts. Helleyrs Road in Tasmania as well.

The problem with most of these is distribution and supply. but if these distilleries decided to try to flood the market. I'll bet Scotch would take a hit. I also hope that it might get some scotch distilleries to release younger malts (HELLO LOWLANDERS!!!!). and help to further shake the oft held belief that an older whiskey is always a better whiskey.
 
also, the fact that prices have risen so fast here may be due in large part to peculiarities of NYS liquor laws that require 1 owner per store and that no two store can operate under the same corporation. also that no corporation that runs a liquor store can do anything other than run a liquor store. in other states, chain stores (like trader joe's), and state owned stores. may/will have the ability to slow the increase in prices through buying power (larger quantities=lower price).

BUT sooner or later they will all run into fact that the Euro is beating the Dollar to death and it will be a while before we will stop hearing squishing noises.
 
While this isn't an absinthe thread. Absinthe is legal here, in certain states, provided the thujone content is below a certain amount, which it usually is. The BATF requires that importers get government certification of thujone levels, and some have. we carry Lucid (from France), Kubler (from Switzerland), and Absinthe Verte (from St. George Spirits, California).

the Lucid tastes like scope and licorice gumdrops.

the Absinthe Verte tastes is mellow licorice, mixed with a little chamomile. but it is 120 proof, so you will find yourself on the floor quickly.

the Kubler I have not tried yet (despite that fact I have 2 bottles and one is open)
 
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Well, we just flew through London, and had time to go into town for several hours. Now usually one would not buy whisky in the UK, as the taxes make the prices prohibitive, but there are certain things you can get there that they do not export. So I picked up a bottle of 25 year old Port Ellen (independent bottler) that came in a nice wooden bx etc. On the way back to the airport, I realized that I would not be able to take it on the plane, so I had to buy a cheapo bag and check it. It arrived ok, but the box was smashed to sh!taree.

I did go the the whisky place in Heathrow to look for bargains, and found very few--so I purchased a 23 year old Port Ellen, bottled by Provenance, and a distillery bottle of Highland Park 30 year old, which actually sold for cheaper than I have seen it in the US.

While none of these are everyday sipping whiskies, the latter two can be opened for special occasions, and the 25 year old Port Ellen can wait until my daughters win the Nobel prize or something...
 
Laphroaig 10 for $100? Nonsense!
Go to Trader Joes and buy it for $29 + tax. And I highly recommend the peaty saltiness of it, it matches well with a good salty cuban style cigar like a Padron Anniversario or a Joyo de Monterrey Antanio.

As for the rest of this thread, I'm sticking my fingers in my ears and singing la la la because my wallet has been hurting enough of late, it needs a little rest.
 
Okay good folks I have since my last post bought several bottles of scotch in my tasting journey. Here is what I have bought and tried so far, mind you this is what has been available at my liquor store so here is the list I've tried so far...

balvenie doublewood
Laphroig 10 year
Macallan fine oak 10 year
and Johnnie Walker Green Label blend 15year.

So far I have liked all of them with the exception of the Johnnie Walker Green Label. I think this tastes better over ice cubes then straight. But I am not impressed with it.

Laphroig--Man you guys were not kidding this stuff is strong. I like it though. Not so much at first but after many glasses and time later I started to enjoy it more. For me it tastes is more rounded with a splash of water. However Laphroig doesn't stand in my mind as what a whiskey "should" taste like-and I mean not disrespect to this find drink what so ever. It is unique tasting and in many ways is mellower tasting than say some of the other scotches I've tried. By that I mean you can tast the smoke and peat but not the burn of the alchol per say.

I think the Macallan is one of my favs so far. It is good to drink on warmer sunny days. It tastes a bit young but reminds me a little of some of the Irish whiskeys I like. Anyhow I like Macallan and will try more varieties soon.

Balvenie is very tasty-definately can taste the sherry and hints of orange peel. I like it. I enjoy it more as my mood is in a festive or celebratory, special type mode.

And of course the Glenlivet 12 is still one of my favorites. I look forward to trying the 18 year.

I can't say that I'm a Islay guy but I rather lean more to the Speyside of the spectrum. That being said I'm still looking for advice on others to try, so keep the suggestions coming.
I want to try the Bow Mor (Islay) and for my next blend I'm really curious of the Royal Grouse. On a side note, it seems that many blends are from the Speyside region like Chivas, Royal Grouse and some of the Speyside is used in the Johnnie Walker's.
 
Most blends have some Islay in them. In fact, there is a rumor that the lack of availablility of large quantities of a certain malt is because so much of it goes for blending.
 
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