Any Scotch Whisky drinkers out there?

KingSmono

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I recently got back from a 2-week trip to Scotland with my father. We were retracing our roots, and spent much time in a tiny town called Buckie, Scotland. Not far from Buckie is the River Spey, which is the water used in many Scotch distilleries. So as you can imagine, there are literally dozens of distilleries in this tiny section of Scotland, all along this river. We went on a tour of the Glenfiddich Distillery, and we also went to the Glenlivet Distillery (which was closed because it was out of season.). The tour of Glenfiddich really made me appreciate all that goes into making a bottle of Scotch! The youngest bottle they have, literally sits on their property undisturbed for a minimum of 12 years... and the oldest is 30 years. (I think they have some rare/limited edition bottles that are older, but for the most part, 30 years is the max.)

It's hard to imagine drinking a bottle of scotch that's older than me! But at Glenfiddich, the Scotch-making process is nearly IDENTICAL to the way their great-great-great-great-great grandfather made it back in the 1800's. They're super-paranoid about changing ANY aspect of the process, for fear that it will change the end-result. So, they still do stuff by hand, and use the same types of wood in all of their tanks, as opposed to using computers to automate the process, and using much longer-lasting stainless steel tanks, etc.

At the end of the tour, we all got a dram of their 12-year old reserve. And since then, I've had a few other types of Scotch. I'm slowly acquiring the taste, and I think I'd eventually like to start a higher-end Scotch collection.

Do you Scotch Connoisseurs have any favorites that you'd recommend to start my collection?
 

monkeyboy

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I'm not a big drinker but Highland Park is one of my favourites. It's distilled in Orkney. Even the basic 12 year old whisky is very good.
 
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Norm

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Any Scotch whisky is better than the stuff Americans try to pass of as Whisky. :) (Ducks and runs)
Norm
 

dulridge

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The Islay malts are all wonderful!!!!

Especially Port Ellen (Hard to find nowadays and way over $200 a bottle when you do). The nectar of the gods. Impossible to drink to excess as it is so powerfully flavoured. Think Stockholm tar. The distillery has been demolished.

Ardbeg - the most phenolic of the malts
Lagavulin - very nice
Caol Ila - this is truly wonderful stuff and is not as smoky as most Islay malts. The taste is intense, but not nearly as much as Ardbeg. Bites hard the next day if consumed in quantity. Believe me, I know this.
BUNNAHABHAIN (Boo-na-have-n phonetically)- do not buy if less than 15 years old. It seems to smooth out then.

But not everyone likes the Islay malts.

Speyside stuff is more mainstream.

Macallan - it doesn't get any better than this. Heavily sherried, only first fill casks used.

Aberlour is very nice especially the older stuff.

I have a soft spot for old Glen Grants but can't afford them these days.

Glenlivet is nice when it is more than 15years old, not so keen on the younger stuff.

Cardhu is not worth the money IMO

Dufftown Glenlivet varies from horrible to excellent.

Glenmorangie is probably the most heavily marketed brand. It needs to be. Glenmorangie means the "The valley of tranquility" and they did some truly excellent radio ads a year or two ago. Well worth a listen if you can Google them. The whisky is OK, some of the specialty finishes are quite nice. Distilled in Tain.

Any Campbeltown malt is worth a taste - there is only one distillery still operating there, there used to be dozens.

Springbank is likely to be the only one you can find nowadays without spending really silly money.

Talisker - distilled in Jura has its fans. Personally I prefer the Islays but it is worth a swig.


I have had some really excellent Japanese malts but they are more expensive than the Scottish stuff. The good stuff is made by people who learned the trade in Scotland.

The best experience is to get single cask stuff bottled at the strength it came out of the still (i.e., 55-65% alcohol by volume) and add water to taste. I use tap water as ours is very soft and clean and does not normally have a chlorine taint. If your tap water is not soft or is chlorinated, use aerated distilled water or the spring water of your choice as long as it is low in minerals and has a pH below 7. This is important.

The nasty habit of diluting spirits to 40% alcohol is a legacy of the first World War and £$%%£$^&&*^%$ Lord Beaverbrook (Think Citizen Kane). It is also the reason for our arcane licensing laws.

Realistically stuff over 30yr old is a waste of money. It does not continue to improve indefinitely. And at that age $1000 bottles are common. And not worth it.

Take a look at www.smws.co.uk - they have an offshoot in Florida.

PM or email for more information. I live not far from distillery country and if you took the usual route, you went past my parents' house on the way to Speyside.
 

dulridge

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They're super-paranoid about changing ANY aspect of the process, for fear that it will change the end-result. So, they still do stuff by hand, and use the same types of wood in all of their tanks, as opposed to using computers to automate the process, and using much longer-lasting stainless steel tanks, etc.

There is the famous story of the distillery that got new stills. The master distiller insisted that the same dents be knocked into them as were in the ones they were replacing. With gigantic care, he also moved all the cobwebs to exactly the same place on the new stills.

Sadly, the old malt floors that were the reason for the pagoda tops to characteristic of distilleries, have almost all been closed and just about everyone gets their malt from the maltings at Port Ellen or the huge malting next to RAF Kinloss. Here's a picture of one from Ardbeg. http://www.islaywhiskyclub.com/pages/Ardbeg Distillery_jpg.htm

I have turned malt by hand. It is very heavy and pretty hot work.
 

JasonC8301

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Glenlivet 15 year old french oak reserve or their 18 and 21 year old single malts are always on rotation. I go through about a bottle a month or so. I either have them on the rocks or mixed 1:1 with coke.

Macallan is nice too but I only drink that at family events.
 

Retinator

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Too bad I have such a low tolerance to alcohol, I'm really missing out :)

The smell of any of the hard stuff can almost knock me out (burns the nose too).

Me after 1 drink: Mellows right out, maybe a tad happier thannormal

2 drinks - Quiets down, looks around for a corner to curl up in like a cat
3 drinks - I'm headed there

No kidding lol I think I've had 1 full drink (glass of wine) in about 2+ yrs :)
 

J!m

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Currently, I'm working on a bottle of Lagavulin 16 year.

The best I've yet had, regardless of price (and you can pay more), is the Balvenie Port Wood 21 year.

I drink these at bottle strength; possibly a drop or two (literally administered with an eye dropper) of water. I agree 100% on water quality as mentioned above.

And, these are not meant to be mixed with anything except ice and/or clean water! There are plenty of low-cost blended whiskeys that blend well with mixers. Using a 'strong' mixer will kill of many of the complexities of a fine whiskey. PLEASE don't do it! (send it to me and I'll replace it with a nice mixing whiskey)

If you want anything that exists, I have a contact in Switzerland that I use. www.smuggler.ch It is all in German; however she speaks English and will ship anything anywhere via DHL. She is sole European importer for many whiskeys that are not found outside of Scotland otherwise...

All this talk is making me thirsty... Another drop of Lagavulin for me please!:welcome:
 

JimmyM

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I've recently gained an appreciation of proper Scotch. I like the 'livet 21 yo. Nice peat-y taste. I like the slow examination of the complexities of a nice Scotch. I'm new, but enjoy a nice tasting with an experienced afficiando. It's really a learning experience if you want to learn all the ins and outs. It's like tasting fine wine.
I like that you spelled Whisky properly.

Listen to J!m. Don't mix, don't dilute. Until you have the tastes established and know what you're mixing or diluting.
Rocks class, 1 maybe 2 cubes.
 
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tygger

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Cragganmore. My personal favorite. A little peat spice, a hint of honey, not too sweet. Don't have a taste for the Islay "smoky" stuff like Lagavulin. Oban is very good, a little light for my taste. Aberlour is good at 12+ years.
 
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9volt

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Too bad I have such a low tolerance to alcohol, I'm really missing out :)

You're not missing out, you just get to drink at a discount :)

Seriously I'd like to check out some good whiskey too. Is there anywhere to get the stuff online?
 

swampgator

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I tried Scotch recently for the first time. I really want to like it, I do. But it doesn't do anything for me. Give me a good Bourbon anyday.

But the other day I did find myself pricing Scotch. I saw a bottle (can't remember but I think it was a Macallan 30 year) that was $499 for a fifth. I guess anything that's $30 a shot has to be good.
 

JimmyM

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I tried Scotch recently for the first time. I really want to like it, I do. But it doesn't do anything for me. Give me a good Bourbon anyday.

But the other day I did find myself pricing Scotch. I saw a bottle (can't remember but I think it was a Macallan 30 year) that was $499 for a fifth. I guess anything that's $30 a shot has to be good.
Nothing wrong with good Bourbon. If that's your taste, go woth it. You don't HAVE to like Scotch.
Macallen is nice stuff. $499, I have no idea. I bought a colleage/friend a $160 bottle fo Scotch for his birthday. This was several years ago. I remember the price (!) , but not the brand. He wa impressed, so all was well. Nice guy. $499 is steep. But I was introduced to a Scotch at a resturant that went for $75 a shot. I'm sure there was markup, but that's why a decent bottle of wine goes for $1600 in Vegas.
 

RA40

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Used to love SMS's. Something changed for me and now no matter what...I get a headache. :( Our regular was pretty mainstream, Highland Park 18YO and Balvenie 21YO Port Wood.

We enjoy a variety so no preferences, bourbon, cognac, tequila, vodka...if it's fermented...:D
 

tygger

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Here's what you do. Take a tumbler and pack it full of ice. Pour in to about half way. Enjoy. Add more ice as necessary. Keep the ice fresh and the scotch will breathe and mellow like a mother. Works especially well for less mature scotch. The trick is to keep it chilled without letting it get watered down.
 

J!m

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I also enjoy a good bourbon- my current favorite being Woodford Reserve.

Quite a bit less complex than any decent single malt Scotch Whisky; however quite nice, and far less expensive.
 

dulridge

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Here's what you do. Take a tumbler and pack it full of ice. Pour in to about half way. Enjoy. Add more ice as necessary. Keep the ice fresh and the scotch will breathe and mellow like a mother. Works especially well for less mature scotch. The trick is to keep it chilled without letting it get watered down.

Ice!!!!

In whisky?

NEVER!!!!!!!!!

Why take away the taste?
 

KingSmono

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Thanks for all the feedback guys. Some great information here!


PM or email for more information. I live not far from distillery country and if you took the usual route, you went past my parents' house on the way to Speyside.
dulridge, thank you for the wealth of information! Seriously! What a great post, and great starting point. We went all along the River Spey, all the way up to the mouth of the Spey (Spey Bay). On our way up to Buckie, we drove through your neck of the woods too! We hired a car in Edinburgh, and drove out to St. Andrews... then up through Dundee and Aberdeen... then we took the road (A94 maybe?) that goes west towards Inverness, and got off at/near Keith and headed north to Buckie. What a gorgeous/scenic drive! But I must say, driving through Dundee and Aberdeen was tricky, not being used to the left side of the road, in a right hand drive vehicle, and having to deal with all the roundabouts! But we quickly got accustomed.


There is the famous story of the distillery that got new stills. The master distiller insisted that the same dents be knocked into them as were in the ones they were replacing. With gigantic care, he also moved all the cobwebs to exactly the same place on the new stills.

Sadly, the old malt floors that were the reason for the pagoda tops to characteristic of distilleries, have almost all been closed and just about everyone gets their malt from the maltings at Port Ellen or the huge malting next to RAF Kinloss. Here's a picture of one from Ardbeg. http://www.islaywhiskyclub.com/pages/Ardbeg Distillery_jpg.htm

I have turned malt by hand. It is very heavy and pretty hot work.
They told us that story on the Glenfiddich distillery tour! :D Very interesting stuff.


Currently, I'm working on a bottle of Lagavulin 16 year.

The best I've yet had, regardless of price (and you can pay more), is the Balvenie Port Wood 21 year.

I drink these at bottle strength; possibly a drop or two (literally administered with an eye dropper) of water. I agree 100% on water quality as mentioned above.

And, these are not meant to be mixed with anything except ice and/or clean water! There are plenty of low-cost blended whiskeys that blend well with mixers. Using a 'strong' mixer will kill of many of the complexities of a fine whiskey. PLEASE don't do it! (send it to me and I'll replace it with a nice mixing whiskey)

If you want anything that exists, I have a contact in Switzerland that I use. www.smuggler.ch It is all in German; however she speaks English and will ship anything anywhere via DHL. She is sole European importer for many whiskeys that are not found outside of Scotland otherwise...

All this talk is making me thirsty... Another drop of Lagavulin for me please!:welcome:
Thanks for the info J!m. I've read good things about the Lagavulin 16! But, I've also read that it's not for Scotch newbies... so I might have to work my way up to it. Also very cool to know about the Swiss Contact! Thanks for the link.


I've recently gained an appreciation of proper Scotch. I like the 'livet 21 yo. Nice peat-y taste. I like the slow examination of the complexities of a nice Scotch. I'm new, but enjoy a nice tasting with an experienced afficiando. It's really a learning experience if you want to learn all the ins and outs. It's like tasting fine wine.
I like that you spelled Whisky properly.

Listen to J!m. Don't mix, don't dilute. Until you have the tastes established and know what you're mixing or diluting.
Rocks class, 1 maybe 2 cubes.
I wish I had a Scotch expert nearby that could show me the ropes. :( Unfortunately I don't, so the pressure's on you guys. :)


Ice!!!!

In whisky?

NEVER!!!!!!!!!

Why take away the taste?
Haha! On the Glenfiddich tour, our guide brought up whether or not water should be added to their Scotch. She said that a few drops of high-quality room-temperature water "opens" up the flavors and scents of the Scotch, and doesn't do it any harm! But she said that ice does the exact opposite... it closes up the Scotch. And then she said if anyone adds Coke to their Scotch, she'll kick them out of the tour! :p
 
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