Whisky / Whiskey
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I'm a lazy searcher, so I have started a new thread on whisky / whiskey.
I've recently hit 40 and started watching Mad Men, so I felt obliged to invest in a couple of single malt Scotches. It's quite a complicated world, but booze is always rewarding.
I have purchased a Glenlivet Founders Reserve and a Glenmorangie 10 year old, with the latter the standout of those two. Each has set me back less than $60, which is pretty much bottom dollar for a single malt. I'm not really willing to go too much higher pricewise yet, so does anyone have any suggestions on good scotch in the NZD 60-80 range or equivalent?
I have tried a few Islay varieties and I am probably keen to develop my taste elsewhere for now.
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At the Tauranga Food Festival (Biggest joke ever and would never attend again along with a lot of others I spoke with) and they had a NZ whiskey called Sheep Dip which was a blended whisky.
It was beautiful and rather pricey (I think a couple of hundy for a bottle) but was one of the nicest I have ever tried.
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my fave Whisky is above your price range, but is The Macallan 12yr, matured in Sherry Casks (they do upto 40yrs as well, but haven't been fortunate/rich enough to try these)
Balvenie is another good drop, with a reasonable range that might sit at the top end of what you are looking at (I get my in-laws to get me a bottle of something when they come over from the UK - so am not always right with pricing)
Bushmills whiskey is decent too and probably in your price range.
Do you do bourbon?
Makers Mark, Wild Turkey Rare Breed bourbons are good.
My goto is Drambuie though whereas is a bit of a risk spending a decent amount on one that turns out to be average.
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@Chris-B. I always notice JUra when I am looking (bottle shape) but have never grabbed it, might have to next time I get a bottle.
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Like TR, I find The Macallan a decent drop and also like TR I've not tried the 40 year stuff. I also like Abelour 12 yr. Glenlivet I find is an easy drink too. If you like the peaty taste of the Islay malts Lagavulin is a good entry point, not as out and out peaty as Laphroaig.
However no matter which malt you are drinking you should try it with just the merest splash of water, it opens it out beautifully. I was always a drink it neat bloke but after a visit to a whisky drinking club in Edinburgh I was convinced.
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@Catogrande said in Whisky / Whiskey:
Like TR, I find The Macallan a decent drop and also like TR I've not tried the 40 year stuff. I also like Abelour 12 yr. Glenlivet I find is an easy drink too. If you like the peaty taste of the Islay malts Lagavulin is a good entry point, not as out and out peaty as Laphroaig.
However no matter which malt you are drinking you should try it with just the merest splash of water, it opens it out beautifully. I was always a drink it neat bloke but after a visit to a whisky drinking club in Edinburgh I was convinced.
I was the same. It was after going to the Scottish Whisky Society in Leith back in the early 90s that I was taught. They used to have bottles of water from Loch Maree to splash in.
It was also partly because most of the stuff they had was cask strength which is higher in alc. than your average bottle.
If you like the Macallan Sherry Cask singles then hunt out some of the special wood finishes from Glendronach. Their Sherry Cask one used to be a favourite of mine but they dont do it any more. They have moved on to more specific things (I guess to be different) including a Marsala finish that sounds yummy.
I'm a bit peeved that I only discovered this http://www.timeout.com/london/blog/make-your-own-whisky-at-chivas-regals-pop-up-bar-on-brick-lane-100316 by seeing it around the corner from work. Like everything good in London it sold out real quick. £15 for an hour of tasting singles then making your own blend to take home! Bargain! -
@Tregaskis, another good point to work from to discover what you enjoy is Highland Park (Original).
If I could only have 3 Whiskys to showcase they would be Highland Park then Macallan (Highland) and Laphroig (Islay) to show what it's like either side of that spectrum.@Catogrande funny thing is that Laphroig and Lagavulin are made to the same recipe using the same ingredients and equipment. Back in the day Lagavulin built next to Laphroig, headhunted their main distiller, copied the notes regarding the stills (these include every dent etc) and set up in direct competition. I think the only difference is a water source from a slightly different place.
The iodine like tang you get from these two (and not so much from other Islay whiskies) is due to the casks being stored outside and exposed to the salty sea spray) -
@Crucial That sounds brilliant but Christ knows what my blend would have been like after an hour of tasting single malts!
I didn't know the history between Lagavulin and Laphraoig but given that history you'd think they would be more alike. I have to say I find Lagavulin the more approachable.
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Yeah, they are certainly different and it shows how much something like slightly different water (bear in mind their springs are probably side by side as well) can make.
Lagavulin used to be a favourite of mine but sadly I trained my brain to reject peaty whiskies a few years ago by absolutely hammering a bottle of Talsiker the missus brought back duty free on a birthday. The hangover was so wicked I found that afterward I really struggled with anything from the West Coast.
The good news is that I have been on a long term rebuilding programme using Highland Park to get my strength back.
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@taniwharugby said in Whisky / Whiskey:
@Chris-B. I always notice JUra when I am looking (bottle shape) but have never grabbed it, might have to next time I get a bottle.
Certainly worth a try - I think they describe it as "light and delicate" and as far as Scotches go, that's a good description. I daresay hardcore Scotch drinkers might think it's insipid.
Actually if you're a fan of Drambuie, you'd probably like Jura Origin.
It's really nothing like Drambuie, but it's probably closer than any other Scotch I've tried - if that makes sense.
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