Scotch
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An important topic!
I have been drinking malts for forty years. When I was at college I sampled all that were available in Scotland in those days (~100). I have been a member of 'The Malt Whisky Society' since then.
Without writing an essay on their comparative merits, my favourites are:
- 'Island' - Lagavulin
- 'Highland' - Highland Park 18 year-old (from Orkney)
- 'Speyside' - Macallan 18 year-old (or older, but it gets very pricey!!)
I have been drinking malts for forty years. When I was at college I sampled all that were available in Scotland in those days (~100). I have been a member of 'The Malt Whisky Society' since then.
Without writing an essay on their comparative merits, my favourites are:
- 'Island' - Lagavulin
- 'Highland' - Highland Park 18 year-old (from Orkney)
- 'Speyside' - Macallan 18 year-old (or older, but it gets very pricey!!)
I usually go for a Double Dewars White Label. Usually inst more then $7. I was lucky enough that the restaurant I work at had a bottle of some 21yr MacCallan Speymalt, which is around $250 a bottle(something I definitely cant afford).
I'm mostly a beer guy but on a cold winter evening there is nothing better than a glass of single malt Scotch. My favorite, and the only bottle of Scotch I have, is Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso.
Love the Scotch, though only Highland/Island and Islay. Never really could get on with Speyside or Campbelltown whiskys.
1. Lagavulin
2. Talisker
3. Laphroaig (10 Year, Quarter Cask, Triple Wood....its all great)
4. Highland Park
5. Oban
6. Old Pulteney
7. Ardbeg
I loved Port Ellen, but it's many a year since it was open and current stocks are getting pretty astronomical.
1. Lagavulin
2. Talisker
3. Laphroaig (10 Year, Quarter Cask, Triple Wood....its all great)
4. Highland Park
5. Oban
6. Old Pulteney
7. Ardbeg
I loved Port Ellen, but it's many a year since it was open and current stocks are getting pretty astronomical.
Learning about Single Malt Whiskey is synonomous with becoming a gentleman. As a Scot, I consider it my duty to learn as much as I can about the subject, with frequent "practice" in tasting. This IS something a lot of people fall down on; the actual tasting, savouring and enjoying of the dram. I once gave a 15 year old to a Marine and he downed the whole dram in half a second. I just stood there, aghast. I did not offer him another.
Longmorn is a Highlands Speyside that is excellent but somewhat hard to get in the US. The distillery is small and now owned by Chivis Bros (or it's parent company) because Longmorn is used in so many of the better blended Scotch whiskies on the market. You can usually find it from independent bottlers like Gordon & McPhail, Signatory, or Glenlivet.
Strathisla is another excellent Highlands Speyside.
Oban for a Western Highlands.
Yoichi from Yoichi, Nikka, Japan but be prepared to dig deep for special occasions only.
Strathisla is another excellent Highlands Speyside.
Oban for a Western Highlands.
Yoichi from Yoichi, Nikka, Japan but be prepared to dig deep for special occasions only.
My go-to Scotch is a "blended Scotch" named "Clan MacGregor". It is only $17.99 for a 1.75 Liter and it is very delicious. I drink it every day! It is imported and bottled by Alexander MacGregor & Co. in Edison, New Jersey.
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It's good to see the Ardbeg get a couple of mentions. It is one of the most distinctive Islay malts. As well as a strong peaty taste it also has an 'oily' quality about it. It is one of the few malts that I could be confident of identifying in a blind tasting.
Of interest, a few years ago the distillery was bought out by a competitor, ostensibly to shut it down. There was a national outcry and a campaign in the "Scotsman" newspaper, with the result that this lovely tincture is still very much a going concern.
Of interest, a few years ago the distillery was bought out by a competitor, ostensibly to shut it down. There was a national outcry and a campaign in the "Scotsman" newspaper, with the result that this lovely tincture is still very much a going concern.
My favorite is Highland Park 18 year old but have tried at least once almost every Scotch listed here.
I have one bit of advice. Cheap whiskey, cheap women, and cheap cars are never a bargain. Save a bit and buy top shelf Scotches. Savor them, using a just a drop, if any water - just enough to release the bouquet.
I've found that a bottle of good single malt, taken a finger or two at a time, outlasts the blended Scotches, which some of us tend to quaff.
On average, I would argue that single malts are better than the average blended Scotch.
But that isn't to say that all blended Scotches are inferior. I love the $80 Buchanon 18 year old, and Wine and Spirits rated it dead even with their $2500 top pick blend.
Aside from the delicious but overpriced Johny Walker Blue, you might give a go with Johnny Walker Double Black, which includes Talisker and Caol Ila in the blend and comes in around $45 bucks a bottle. Usquaebach Rare is another hearty whisky that goes for about a buck and a quarter but you can find many fine blends from about $40 to $80 including my longtime mistress Pinch, as well as AD Rattray Cask Islay, Islay Mist 17 Year Old. Age makes a world of difference. Chivas 18 year old is almost a different whisky than the 12.
Pax
I have one bit of advice. Cheap whiskey, cheap women, and cheap cars are never a bargain. Save a bit and buy top shelf Scotches. Savor them, using a just a drop, if any water - just enough to release the bouquet.
I've found that a bottle of good single malt, taken a finger or two at a time, outlasts the blended Scotches, which some of us tend to quaff.
On average, I would argue that single malts are better than the average blended Scotch.
But that isn't to say that all blended Scotches are inferior. I love the $80 Buchanon 18 year old, and Wine and Spirits rated it dead even with their $2500 top pick blend.
Aside from the delicious but overpriced Johny Walker Blue, you might give a go with Johnny Walker Double Black, which includes Talisker and Caol Ila in the blend and comes in around $45 bucks a bottle. Usquaebach Rare is another hearty whisky that goes for about a buck and a quarter but you can find many fine blends from about $40 to $80 including my longtime mistress Pinch, as well as AD Rattray Cask Islay, Islay Mist 17 Year Old. Age makes a world of difference. Chivas 18 year old is almost a different whisky than the 12.
Pax
Brass-
That JWDB sounds deeeeeliscious! I can't find it here in Ohio, what state are you in?
I'm heading to Cincinnati in the morning to visit my daughter- probably cross over to the great commonwealth of Kentucky and peruse their offerings......... I always find great stuff there.
That JWDB sounds deeeeeliscious! I can't find it here in Ohio, what state are you in?
I'm heading to Cincinnati in the morning to visit my daughter- probably cross over to the great commonwealth of Kentucky and peruse their offerings......... I always find great stuff there.
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