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kidsafe posted:Are any ages/dates significant to you (born in the 80s or along those lines?) That's a really neat idea. I was born in 83, but honestly, I wouldn't say there is a date that is really significant to me. I just want a drat fine bottle of scotch.
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Aug 27, 2012 15:04
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Jewce posted:I am getting married on Sunday and I am getting my groomsmen a pair of Glencairn glasses. I would also like to get a special bottle of scotch for everyone to share. I was thinking of getting some cigars too. My favorite scotch with cigar combination is the Caol Ila 18, which is a moderately peated single malt. If you do not enjoy peat I would recommend the Highland Park 18.
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Aug 27, 2012 19:48
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Dibrok posted:My favorite scotch with cigar combination is the Caol Ila 18, which is a moderately peated single malt. If you do not enjoy peat I would recommend the Highland Park 18. Awesome, thank you. I do not know the first thing about Scotch so would people generally recommend starting with something peated or what? That Highland Park 18 is has a ton of great reviews and I even found a cigar recommendation or two to go with it. The Caol Ila 18 also has great reviews, but it seems hard to find and I need to be able to pick it up in the Atlanta area. I may go for that if I can track it down. If I can't find it I'll definitely go with the Highland Park unless someone comes in here by tomorrow and blows me away with some other recommendation. Also, just out of curiosity, what's up with Johnny Blue label? Is it just marketing hype or what?
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Aug 27, 2012 21:00
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Lots of hype and a luxurious image. It's to whiskey what Armand de Brignac is to champagne. Good, but you can do much better for much less (in fact, I much prefer Double Black and Gold to Blue).
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Aug 27, 2012 21:31
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FreelanceSocialist posted:Lots of hype and a luxurious image. It's to whiskey what Armand de Brignac is to champagne. Good, but you can do much better for much less (in fact, I much prefer Double Black and Gold to Blue). Heh, figured as much. So, I wrote the president of the Scotch club in my city and they recommended Tomatin Decades or Lagavulin 12 year. Any thoughts? Going for something that will pair great with a cigar. As of now I am choosing between: Caol Ila 18 Highland Park 18 Tomatin Decades Lagavulin 12
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Aug 27, 2012 22:25
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I say get more than one. Get a spectrum. Lagavulin 12 is a nice, heavy, smokey peat-forward scotch. Then get a light, soft Auchentoshan 10. Then get a third, richer, sweeter one like the Balvenie Double Wood. I bet all three would be just under $150.
FreelanceSocialist fucked around with this message at 01:37 on Aug 28, 2012 |
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Aug 28, 2012 01:35
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For people new to scotch, I'm not 100% sure I could suggest a really peaty Islay whiskey. The flavor tends to be very intense and off-putting to a lot of people (even among some scotch drinkers) The Highland Park 18, however, is a great reccomendation. I adore the 12 year old and the 18 is a lot more nuanced and pretty interesting as far as single malts go.
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Aug 28, 2012 02:31
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NightConqueror posted:For people new to scotch, I'm not 100% sure I could suggest a really peaty Islay whiskey. The flavor tends to be very intense and off-putting to a lot of people (even among some scotch drinkers)
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Aug 28, 2012 03:27
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FreelanceSocialist posted:I say get more than one. Get a spectrum. Lagavulin 12 is a nice, heavy, smokey peat-forward scotch. Then get a light, soft Auchentoshan 10. Then get a third, richer, sweeter one like the Balvenie Double Wood. I bet all three would be just under $150. That's a cool idea, but based on prices I see online those three would be around 180 not including tax. Not totally out of the question though. I feel like I could either do that or just get one bottle and some stogies though. A tough decision for sure. Thanks for all your comments so far everyone. I appreciate all the help.
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Aug 28, 2012 03:35
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In stead of the Auchentoshan 10, I'd recommend the Auchentoshan Three Wood instead, I think it pairs better with cigars. 
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Aug 28, 2012 09:23
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Jewce posted:... You should go to a bar first and just try a glass of either Lagavulin og Caol Ila and you'll have a much easier time choosing the right one. If none of you are used to scotch then you might not even finish the first glass - just as NightConqueror posted. Other than that, FreelanceSocialist's suggestion of buying three different bottles is very good, as this will let you try a pretty wide spectrum for a decent price.
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Aug 28, 2012 11:59
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Jewce posted:Awesome, thank you. I do not know the first thing about Scotch so would people generally recommend starting with something peated or what? Peat is something you definitely want to experience in your Scotch career but may be a little rough on first-timers. I would probably refine my recommendation to the Highland Park 18 in your case. It would probably be easier to find as well.
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Aug 28, 2012 19:07
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Thanks everyone! Just got a bottle of Highland Park 18 and a bottle of Laphroaig 10. I think this will give a nice introduction to something more smokey and something more mild and caramel like. I also got some Sumatra cigars to go with the Highland Park. I think everyone will enjoy their scotch experience :-)
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Aug 28, 2012 19:48
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The PEAT MONSTER Laproaig http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laphroaig I can equate it to drinking liquid smoke or gravel. Though it may not sound appealing to some it love the stuff! Its pretty much all I drink when I get my hands on it. If you love peat you got to get this stuff a try! Side bar, I am heading to Scotland next month any scotch distillers you can recommend? (Beside Laphroaig)
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Aug 28, 2012 21:07
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Ceric posted:The PEAT MONSTER Laproaig You can check out the Kilchoman distillery to the west. It's the only privately-owned distillery left on Islay, and it's also the newest, so I would imagine it would be a bit of a more personal experience. They're a farm distillery and grow their own barley for specific malts, and are one of the few distilleries left that use the old traditional floor-malting process for their grains.
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Aug 28, 2012 22:35
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Origami Dali posted:You can check out the Kilchoman distillery to the west. It's the only privately-owned distillery left on Islay, and it's also the newest, so I would imagine it would be a bit of a more personal experience. They're a farm distillery and grow their own barley for specific malts, and are one of the few distilleries left that use the old traditional floor-malting process for their grains. Thanks man ill check it out!
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Aug 29, 2012 08:33
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Ceric posted:The PEAT MONSTER Laproaig I was in Scotland back in May for a Scotch tasting tour. We visited every distillery on Islay as well as Jura, Arran, all three in Cambletown and Auchentoshan. The 3 distilleries that stood out the most were Bowmore, Laphroaig, and Springbank. The tours provided at these distilleries were by far the best we encountered in Scotland and I would highly recommend all 3. Jura would also receive a notable mention. The low-light of the trip was Kilchoman. The tour and treatment we received at Kilchoman was atrocious. The distillery manager was rude and acted as though he was above everyone. We got the overall impression that he just wanted us out of there so he could get back to work. If you are going to be in Edinburgh for any amount of time I would highly recommend checking out The Vaults, Leith. It is the main branch of the SMWS (Scotch Malt Whisky Society, http://www.smws.co.uk/venues/The-Vaults-Leith/) and a great place to go for dinner and dram. No matter which distilleries you decide to visit I highly recommend setting up the VIP or premium tours ahead of time. The difference between the tour you get and what the general public gets is immense and definitely worth the extra cost. The VIP tour will usually get you into the warehouse at every distillery, a better tasting experience, and a better explanation and tour of the facilities.
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Aug 29, 2012 19:10
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Dibrok posted:
Well that's disheartening. These craft distilleries can't afford to be assholes.
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Aug 30, 2012 01:29
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Ceric posted:The PEAT MONSTER Laproaig Another thing you might want to consider is the Bruichladdich Octomore. This is probably the peatiest single malt you can get (167ppm). It is also a young Whisky so will pack a pretty punch if you are in to that sort of thing. I picked up a bottle last week and was pleasantly surprised. Edit: Forgot to add a link http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/B-40-Octomore.aspx
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Aug 30, 2012 23:31
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Dibrok posted:Another thing you might want to consider is the Bruichladdich Octomore. This is probably the peatiest single malt you can get (167ppm). It is also a young Whisky so will pack a pretty punch if you are in to that sort of thing. I picked up a bottle last week and was pleasantly surprised. TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Aug 31, 2012 |
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Aug 31, 2012 01:06
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Slightly related to this peat-talk: I just had a Talisker 10 today and it was quite different compared to the phenolic Laphroaig and Ardbeg that I'm so used to. The smoke was much more mild and woody - almost like a cherry wood smoke. Very much less "in your face" and definitely a lot more subdued. It was very interesting and I think I'd definitely buy it in the future. Also, I'd kill to try an Octomore, but short of buying a bottle of it, I don't think I've got a chance. NightConqueror fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Aug 31, 2012 |
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Aug 31, 2012 03:05
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Dibrok posted:I was in Scotland back in May for a Scotch tasting tour. We visited every distillery on Islay as well as Jura, Arran, all three in Cambletown and Auchentoshan. The 3 distilleries that stood out the most were Bowmore, Laphroaig, and Springbank. The tours provided at these distilleries were by far the best we encountered in Scotland and I would highly recommend all 3. Jura would also receive a notable mention. Bowmore, Laphroaig & Springbank are 3 of the very few distilleries still doing floor maltings so they can provide a more rounded tour than a place with a 15 tonne malt hopper. Very sad to hear about your experience at Kilchoman. It was good when I was there a few (3?) years back, although I heard they had recruited the distillery manager from Bunnahabhain since then. Was the guy at Kilchoman a scot or an englishman? The english guy who owns & built the distillery seemed a nice guy who had time and inclination to talk and I'd be surprised if you got attitude from him.
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Aug 31, 2012 15:47
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biglads posted:Was the guy at Kilchoman a scot or an englishman? The english guy who owns & built the distillery seemed a nice guy who had time and inclination to talk and I'd be surprised if you got attitude from him. The distillery manager at Kilchoman was an Englishman, although I do not believe it was the owner. It might have been the guy from Bunnahabhain, but I cannot remember his name. It is the guy from the picture on this website: http://kilchomandistillery.com/whisky-shop/single-malt-whisky-liqueur
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Aug 31, 2012 19:21
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Dibrok posted:I was in Scotland back in May for a Scotch tasting tour. We visited every distillery on Islay as well as Jura, Arran, all three in Cambletown and Auchentoshan. The 3 distilleries that stood out the most were Bowmore, Laphroaig, and Springbank. The tours provided at these distilleries were by far the best we encountered in Scotland and I would highly recommend all 3. Jura would also receive a notable mention. Thanks for all the info I defiantly bee checking out the vaults of Leith that place looks awesome. Ill see if I can get a bottle of Octomore I normally prefer the peater whiskeys I tried Highland Park (the 12 year anyway) it was pretty good but I still prefer Laphroaig.
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Aug 31, 2012 21:31
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Dibrok posted:The distillery manager at Kilchoman was an Englishman, although I do not believe it was the owner. It might have been the guy from Bunnahabhain, but I cannot remember his name. It is the guy from the picture on this website: http://kilchomandistillery.com/whisky-shop/single-malt-whisky-liqueur That guy with the glasses is Anthony Wills, he's the owner (or one of them) from memory. I've met with him a few times and he's always come across as very nice and more than happy to chat. He must have been having a bad day I guess. Shame that you didn't have a good time there.
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Sep 3, 2012 14:58
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What's the general opinion on Kilchoman? I know since they're new a lot of their stuff is pretty young, but I've heard some good stuff about the Machir Bay and the Sherry Cask bottlings.
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Sep 3, 2012 17:49
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NightConqueror posted:What's the general opinion on Kilchoman? I know since they're new a lot of their stuff is pretty young, but I've heard some good stuff about the Machir Bay and the Sherry Cask bottlings. Whisky to avoid: Bunnahabhain Toiteach. Absolutely one dimensional tarry peat and, slight processed sugar sweetness. The rep claimed it was 7-8 years old, I would have pegged it even younger. All the distilleries seem to think enough peat will complete mask how otherwise undrinkable their young whisky is. TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 02:08 on Sep 4, 2012 |
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Sep 4, 2012 01:53
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kidsafe posted:All of their stuff is young, they don't have a whisky over 7 years old. I've only had their 2009-2011 releases and they are quite good for what they are. Pretty sweet, minerally, hint of lemon cream or meringue, bonfire/wood ash smoke similar to Laphroaig. It's tricky nowadays because there's so many more whiskies with no age statemenet that also carry a high price - as if they were top level aged single malts. I haven't heard about that particular Bunnahabhain but I have heard that some of pricier NAS such as Laphroaig Cairdeas, Ardbeg Blasda are only average in quality. I hear Macallan is going to go NAS on a bunch of their whiskies too. EDIT: There's also the annoying trend among bourbon distillers to sell unaged corn whiskey at full price. NightConqueror fucked around with this message at 03:40 on Sep 4, 2012 |
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Sep 4, 2012 03:35
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NightConqueror posted:What's the general opinion on Kilchoman? I know since they're new a lot of their stuff is pretty young, but I've heard some good stuff about the Machir Bay and the Sherry Cask bottlings. Although I had a bad experience at the distillery I really enjoy the Whisky they make. I just won't ever buy it again. My favorite by far is the Machir Bay as I am a sucker for Whisky finsihed in Oloroso Sherry cask.
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Sep 4, 2012 19:12
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Dibrok posted:Although I had a bad experience at the distillery I really enjoy the Whisky they make. I just won't ever buy it again. Isn't that a bit baby-with-the-bathwater-ish?
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Sep 4, 2012 21:37
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NightConqueror posted:EDIT: There's also the annoying trend among bourbon distillers to sell unaged corn whiskey at full price. This one really bugs me. I'd like to try some unaged corn/rye/wheat whiskeys with them available, but I don't want to pay $50 a bottle when I can get a good aged whiskey at that price point. It's certainly cheaper for them to make, they can pass it on.
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Sep 5, 2012 18:57
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Spending real money on unaged whiskey seems like the ultimate sucker's game. Are there any that are particularly palatable? The Makers Mark white whiskey wasn't gross, but I can't see why you would want to drink the stuff outside of a whiskey tasting, let alone pay $30+ for a bottle.
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Sep 6, 2012 03:23
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I had Nikka 12 year old at the bar tonight, which I'd never heard of before, and I quite liked it - seems like an odd thing at a dive bar but hey it was good enough.
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Sep 6, 2012 05:50
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FreelanceSocialist posted:Lots of hype and a luxurious image. It's to whiskey what Armand de Brignac is to champagne. Good, but you can do much better for much less (in fact, I much prefer Double Black and Gold to Blue). Agreed 100%. I didn't like Blue, but Gold and Double Black were very easy to drink too much of without realizing it.
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Sep 7, 2012 18:39
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wormil posted:New premium wheated bourbon from Heaven Hill... Larceny. Average retail is $25/bottle; 92 proof. Just cracked open a bottle, first impression it is sweet and oaky with more pepper than I expected from a wheated bourbon with a bit of sour corn whiskey finish. Cost was $30 with a $10 rebate which I promptly mailed in. At $30 I probably wouldn't buy it again but if it drops to >$25, definitely. I would buy this in a heartbeat over Makers. Incidentally the bottle looks nicer in person.
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Sep 12, 2012 03:46
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wormil posted:Just cracked open a bottle, first impression it is sweet and oaky with more pepper than I expected from a wheated bourbon with a bit of sour corn whiskey finish. Cost was $30 with a $10 rebate which I promptly mailed in. At $30 I probably wouldn't buy it again but if it drops to >$25, definitely. I would buy this in a heartbeat over Makers. Incidentally the bottle looks nicer in person. Sounds like a steal at $20. Might give it a shot, because I haven't had a wheated bourbon since Maker's Mark, and I'm not the biggest fan of it.
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Sep 12, 2012 04:40
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NightConqueror posted:Sounds like a steal at $20. Might give it a shot, because I haven't had a wheated bourbon since Maker's Mark, and I'm not the biggest fan of it.
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Sep 12, 2012 04:44
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Alternately look at Rebel Yell. I prefer Rebel Yell, but I tend to prefer Heaven Hill to Buffalo Trace. That said, I'm new to bourbon, so don't quote me as it were. Rebel Yell is similarly priced to Weller. Also, and I may not be correct about this, but I think Weller Special Reserve stopped being a 7 year old a while ago, and moved to NAS.
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Sep 12, 2012 06:03
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This trend of using "moonshine" as a marketing term is pretty loving retarded, but I tried some 100 proof clear corn whisky billed as moonshine and sold with cherries soaked in it and I must say it was not bad at all. The brand was Midnight Moon, and in spite of it being 100 proof I could drink it neat quite easily. The actual cherries were pretty tasty, too. 
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Sep 14, 2012 05:07
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Midnight Moon is made here in NC and I've been tempted to try it but it seems like a waste of money for $22. There's also Howling Moon at $25 and Troy & Sons out of Asheville that's $30, ridiculous. Heaven Hills makes Georgia Moon which is a more reasonable $12. But really, I don't see a point in unaged whiskey unless it's dirt cheap.
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Sep 14, 2012 06:16
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