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Any Scotch drinkers here?


HessStation

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First and foremost I've never been a heavy drinker. But as I'm getting older beer just fills me up more than gives me a buzz. Vodka is great as a mixed drink and fun for a party/social gathering in the summer and wine is alright from time to time with the wife. But I spend a lot of time home with my kids on weekend nights. At this point I like to sip on a glass of something. I've found Scotch Whiskey/Whisky to be the perfect compliment. One glass on the rocks gives me a nice, warm buzz and I like that is takes some time to finish as I can enjoy and sip it for 1/2-1 hour until finished.

Anyway, I've found Glenfiddich to be my favorite so far. Mind you, besides the Glenfiddich, I've only really tried Dewar's, Johnny Walker Black and Macallan. In fact I just bought the Macallan not too long ago and I'm stuggling with it (it's too, I don't know, oakey and musky?)...as for the Glenfiddich before it, it was like a treat (smooth and clean). I really enjoyed every glass.

But I'm wondering, does anyone have any recommendations? I suppose it comes down to price as with anything. But I don't know or care, anything from the $50-$80 a bottle range I guess? Again, I don't drink a lot so it takes a while to finish an entire bottle. I'm just looking for something good.

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Gahh, that sh!t burns the throat.

It's funny DL, I've always said the same thing. But for some reason, maybe it's my age, getting old and ****, depressing as it is...I've somehow aquired the taste. And, for whatever reason, this "aquired taste" seemed to happen just the past few months.

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Gahh, that sh!t burns the throat.

I see a lesbian joke in the future.

I love all kinds of whiskey other then the cheap ****, they all suck.

For the money the best whiskey is Jameson, best I've drink is Middleton and my favorite Scotch is Loch Dhu and Glen Ord.

If you never had Loch Dhu it's a must try but it's really hard to find, I have it sent to me from Ireland or England.

loch_dhu_300.jpg

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First and foremost I've never been a heavy drinker. But as I'm getting older beer just fills me up more than gives me a buzz. Vodka is great as a mixed drink and fun for a party/social gathering in the summer and wine is alright from time to time with the wife. But I spend a lot of time home with my kids on weekend nights. At this point I like to sip on a glass of something. I've found Scotch Whiskey/Whisky to be the perfect compliment. One glass on the rocks gives me a nice, warm buzz and I like that is takes some time to finish as I can enjoy and sip it for 1/2-1 hour until finished.

Anyway, I've found Glenfiddich to be my favorite so far. Mind you, besides the Glenfiddich, I've only really tried Dewar's, Johnny Walker Black and Macallan. In fact I just bought the Macallan not too long ago and I'm stuggling with it (it's too, I don't know, oakey and musky?)...as for the Glenfiddich before it, it was like a treat (smooth and clean). I really enjoyed every glass.

But I'm wondering, does anyone have any recommendations? I suppose it comes down to price as with anything. But I don't know or care, anything from the $50-$80 a bottle range I guess? Again, I don't drink a lot so it takes a while to finish an entire bottle. I'm just looking for something good.

Irish Whiskey doesn't burn your throat as much. I think its supposed to do with how the malt is dried. Something about scotland using smoke and ireland just using hot air. The Irish know all about hot air.

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Thanks Mick, but anything a little more accessible. I live down the road from a fantastic...enormous liquor store. They stock a lot of ****. But your recommendation sounds a little harder to find. I will, however, ask for sure.

Irish Whiskey -

Jameson - great whiskey for the price $25

Tullamore Dew - Is always my second choice for the price $20

Midleton - pricey but worth it $150

16 Yr Malt Bushmills - I'd put this against any $50 whiskey, it's very good

21 Yr Malt Bushmills - If you can find it and don't mind dropping $125 it's great

Knappogue Castle Single Malt - It has a nice peaty flavor so a Scotch drinker should like it $40

Don't waste your money on the Jameson up grades, they taste just like the regular one so it's not worth spending more, IMO.

Scotch - I only drink here and there

Glen Ord 18 Yr - Nice and smooth not real peaty $65

Loch Dhu - great black Scotch has a burnt berry finish, it's hard to find and cost $200 plus a bottle but it's well worth it

Glenmorangie 10 Single Malt - fruity as well as a spice finish $50

Glenrothes Single Malt - nice spice flavor not to peaty $65

Now that I've done this I'm wanting to have a drink for some reason.

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Irish Whiskey doesn't burn your throat as much. I think its supposed to do with how the malt is dried. Something about scotland using smoke and ireland just using hot air. The Irish know all about hot air.

Smart ass, Scotch is dried with peat smoke

Here's a quick write up.

The difference between Irish whiskey and Scotch whiskies

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It's funny DL, I've always said the same thing. But for some reason, maybe it's my age, getting old and ****, depressing as it is...I've somehow aquired the taste. And, for whatever reason, this "aquired taste" seemed to happen just the past few months.

I remember once I tried to drink some freaking Glenlivet and almost puked my life away. No sir. Gimme the light stuff.

Im not big on alcohol anyway. I hate hangovers.

Edit: it was different from the one above it was in a Green Bottle. Not sure if that makes a difference.

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Not all Scotch is entirely malted barley, as Mick's info says. Single malts are, but blended whisky contains grain alcohol, similar to vodka. Real Scotch afficianados would never drink single malt on the rocks. I'm not one of those guys. I find ice makes it go down easier.

I prefer Irish whiskey (Jameson is my favorite) or bourbon to Scotch, but I meet with a small group of friends two or three times a year and we drink Johnny Walker Blue. That stuff is NICE.

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One of my favorites

Review: Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Connemara wears that “peated” slug right on its sleeve. If the name of the spirit didn’t tip you off, this is a rarity for Irish whiskeys, which are traditionally not peated at all.

The smoky peat in this 80-proof whiskey (which carries no age-statement) is immediately at the forefront on the nose and the palate. Light gold in color, it hints that it hasn’t spent much time in casks, which gives the peat more room to do the talking.

Complex it’s not. Connemara’s peat is impressive, but all that phenol drowns out most of the immature fruit and floral notes you’d otherwise expect to see. If Laphroiag-like Scotch is your bag, you should give Connemara’s Irish interpretation a shot. Lovers of sweeter whiskeys need not apply.

connemara-peated-single-malt-irish-whiskey.jpg

Otherwise, for the everyday stuff: Paddy and Bushmill

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Depends where you live, but sometimes you can get Lagavulin at the upper end of your price range. That's the best Scotch I have ever tasted. It's EXTREMELY smooth, and I recommend that you drink it without ice to get the full effect.

There are two general categories of scotch: Single Malt and Blended

Blended scotch (like Johnny Walker, Dewars and the Famous Grouse) are produced by "blenders" who buy single malt by the cask and "blend" or mix them together to produce a scotch that tastes more "average" than any individual malt. Blended scotch also tends to be cut or "watered down" with grain alcohol (essentially everclear). There is no real rule of thumb here, but up to 50% of a blended scotch can be grain alcohol. The more expensive the blend, the less the percent of grain alcohol (most likely). Nonetheless, because of this, blended scotch is never as smooth as single malt scotch, and rarely has the complexity of flavor.

Occasionally you'll see a scotch labelled as "pure malt" -- usually a higher-end Johnny Walker. With ONE exception, a "pure malt" is still a blended whisky. It just means that they didn't use any grain alcohol in the blend.

Glenfiddich calls itself a "pure malt" (or at least they used to), but in-fact falls into the category of Single Malts. Single malts come in a number of different types and styles, delineated primarily by "region" (which is often noted on the bottle). The major Single Malt regions are:

Islay: Smokey-peaty flavors, sometimes salty (especially Laphroaig) and usually very smooth. This is the region for Lagavulin, and pretty much all of my favorites.

Speyside: The biggest region (by number of distillers), this one is home to Glenfiddich. If you don't fancy the peaty flavors, Speysides are for you. The Macallan is also a speyside, for what it's worth (I personally believe that the Macallan is overrated, marketed to Americans in a bid to take their money).

Highlands: Highland malts tend to vary a lot more than other regions and will have features of both Islay and Speyside malts in many cases. One of my favorites from this region, Oban, is very similar to an Islay malt even though it isn't located in that region.

Cambelltown: At one point this was the largest region, but now it is one of the smallest. It has three distilleries: Glengyle, Glen Scotia, Springbank. I don't believe that I've tried any of those yet, but they are on my list.

Lowland: Another "small" region, the Lowland distilleries are Auchentoshan, Bladnoch, and Glenkinchie. All of which are good, and are the lightest in salt, peat and smoke, though they are still very smooth.

Some people consider "Islands" to be a separate region. Officially these distilleries are included as part of the "Highlands" region though. Famous islands malts include Talisker (another of my favorites), which is distilled on the Isle of Skye.

I always recommend single malt served neat and sipped. Ice and water only dilute the complex flavors of the single malt and (in my opinion) makes the experience less enjoyable.

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Not all Scotch is entirely malted barley, as Mick's info says. Single malts are, but blended whisky contains grain alcohol, similar to vodka. Real Scotch afficianados would never drink single malt on the rocks.

All correct. Some "aficionados" put a "splash" of water in their scotch, however. I consider that to be a sacrilege.

Single Malt Neat.

I don't really drink much blended scotch. When I do, I would probably drink it on the rocks. You need ice to smooth out a bad scotch. You shouldn't need it to smooth out the good stuff.

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Irish Whiskey doesn't burn your throat as much. I think its supposed to do with how the malt is dried. Something about scotland using smoke and ireland just using hot air. The Irish know all about hot air.

The better single malt scotches won't burn either. Jameson burns more than Lagavulin, in my opinion.

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You're supposed to take water with your whisky. If I have a single malt, I put in a splash. I never used to but it does improve the flavours. It brings them out.

Ice chills the whisky and reduces the flavour. At the end of the day, it is all chemistry. Gotta love science.

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You're supposed to take water with your whisky. If I have a single malt, I put in a splash. I never used to but it does improve the flavours. It brings them out.

Ice chills the whisky and reduces the flavour. At the end of the day, it is all chemistry. Gotta love science.

I entirely disagree with you there Haggis. In no way does water improve a whisky that is already smooth. If you are drinking a harsher malt, perhaps. The water will cut the burn and let your tastebuds actually sense the flavor. That is definitely not necessary with a malt like (my absolute, all-time-favorite) Lagavulin, which is already tremendously smooth, with absolutely no burn.

http://scotchaddict.com/diluting-scotch-with-water.html

That said, I mentioned that there are two schools of thought on the matter. My dad and grandfather would never put anything in their scotch, but my uncle Jimmy usually adds a splash of water.

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I meet with a small group of friends two or three times a year and we drink Johnny Walker Blue. That stuff is NICE.

blue is incredible but expensive... like 200 bucks a bottle

the 12 yr singleton is similar but a single malt about 50 bucks... it comes from the same company that makes Johnny Walker but is in a blue bottle, which leads me to believe it's one of the scotches in Blue. highly recommended.

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Beautiful stuff this far. Thank you to all responses. Anyway, having done a little research myself I think I may try the Glenlivet 16 next. I remember noticing the Chivas in the store as well...

BTW reading this thread was much more fun than the internet research I'd done. Apparently most Scotch blogs are full of high brow, know-it-all snobs. Anyway good stuff. I will most likely continue to try the different recommendations throughout hopefully without becoming a full time alcoholic. :cheers:

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Beautiful stuff this far. Thank you to all responses. Anyway, having done a little research myself I think I may try the Glenlivet 16 next. I remember noticing the Chivas in the store as well...

BTW reading this thread was much more fun than the internet research I'd done. Apparently most Scotch blogs are full of high brow, know-it-all snobs. Anyway good stuff. I will most likely continue to try the different recommendations throughout hopefully without becoming a full time alcoholic. :cheers:

Ha!.. YEah some of these guys know their stuff. I just bounce around from one to the next. I'm pretty happy with the GL 16, but I do put it on the rocks and let the ice melt a bit before really drinking more then sips..

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Ha!.. YEah some of these guys know their stuff. I just bounce around from one to the next. I'm pretty happy with the GL 16, but I do put it on the rocks and let the ice melt a bit before really drinking more then sips..

LOL yeah that's me too. I'm not tough enough without the ice. But I have enough hair on my chest.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just cracked my first bottle of Glenlevit 15 French Oak Reserve and loving it. Thanks for the recommendation Chan! (will hopefully be moving up to the Nadurra soon). Also bought a bottle of Jameson 12 year last week and thought it was great.

I'm building quite a little collection of whiskey as of late... Question though. As I'm not a full time alchoholic does Scotch/Whisky go bad? I like trying a lot of different things but don't know exactly when I'll be finishing all these bottles.

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