Quality Aged Single Malt Scotch: The true Liquid Gold?
 

I was at a bar this past weekend and I asked for their best house Scotch, neat .
They brought me a small batch 15year scotch I believe called Glenrosset. I hadn't heard of it before and can't find anything on Google, but it was an excellent scotch that I found smoky and very smooth. First time I'd ever tried a small batch like that and I'd highly recommend it, if I could only verify the name.

I'm personally a very fond fan of The Macallan, preferably 18year, but the 12year is also excellent. Are there any other scotch drinkers out there that can add a recommendation to the pile?

Chivas Regal, Glenlivet, all fine quality Scotch. Anyone know of any similar or better obscure labels that won't break the bank?

How do you drink it?

Anything that sounds expensive would probably break the bank of any student. I usually just tell the barsman to make me something nice but not too expensive

I tried Bowmore last weekend.

I am not a scotch fan (the reason why is a whole different <a href="http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1670">thread</a>), but I thought it was pretty good.

I don't drink much Whiskey, but I worked behind a bar in an upmarket Edinburgh hotel for a while and my Father's a big single malt lover.

I'd reccomend Lagavulin as something a little different to the norm.

I'm no Whiskey lover, but Lagavulin is fantastic.

I don't know about the price of a bottle in the US, but it's about £20 - £25 here in Edinburgh.

I believe it's highly rated.

It smells like medicine, but in a good way.

I have always liked Dalwhinne (please don't expect proper spelling).

In the last two or three years I have actually gone back to the high quality blends. There is a reason that most whiskeys are blended. It lends a smoothness and consistancy that single malts have a very hard time with. I think it is only recently that there have been this many good single malts.

In that vein, I like Johnny Walker Black. Chivas is good too. With greater funds I like JW Gold too. The Blue is only for very special occaisions when it can be properly appreciated.

You should also try some Irish. Bushmills Black is my favorite whiskey right now. It has great depth and smoothness.

Remember to add a few drops of water to bring out the flavor of the whiskey. That is how they do it in Ireland and Scotland. I prefer a little ice as well, but not with the really expensive stuff.

marco -- as much as I would like to throw out a recommendation I can't because I am just getting into the scotch drinking mode. A friend of mine reintroduced it to me about a month ago so I am still learning the little nuiances (sp?) of drinking it. Couple of things he taught me:

Take that first sip -- burn a bit going down but then wait about 30 seconds to a minute and take another sip. It tastes completely different -- much smoother.

Now grab an ice cube and drip in two drops of water. Again a completely different taste. I was amazed by this.

Moral -- Scotch is truely a beverage to be enjoyed slowly and not just thrown back.

I tried to acquire a taste for scotch, but it just never happened. You are welcome to my lifetime's allotment, if you want it.

i'll take you up on that offer. i have aquired the taste.

i'm a huge fan of single malts. some of the scotch i have:
bowmore - 17
the glenmorangie - 15
the glenmorangie - 18
the macallan - 15
the macallan - 18
glenfiddich - 18
the balvenie - 15
the glenlivet - 15
dalwhinnie - 15
lagavulin - 16
knockando - 18
usquaebach - 15

like troit said there are different ways to enjoy scotch: neat, on the rocks, with a water back. i waoud advise anyone who would like to try scotch to sample mot only different types of scotch but different ways of drinking any particular scotch. there are some i would prefer neat, and some i like with ice, and others still that just depend on how i feel.

the only thing better than scotch is scotch with a cigar. and the only thing better than scotch and a cigar is scotch, a cigar, and dancing naked dancing women.

The scotch for me is Glenfiddich, aged 18 years, on the rocks.

I disliked Johnny Walker Black, but only tried it neat, aged 12 years. Like Binder said, the method of consumption is as important as the brand and age.

Also, I'm sure cigars and dancing naked women really bring out the psychological aspect of the taste. It's a science, really.

Mmmmm, scotch.

I'll weigh in with

Glenmorangie, both their regular barrel and their special port barrel aged. Both are excellent.

MacCallen is also very good, I have 12 and 18 year old varieties.

Speyside varieties have a distinctly 'boggy' flavor which can be an interesting contrast.


My final recommendation is this: Find a bar that does single malt samplers. There's one I know in Denver where I was first turned onto the joys of scotch. It was VERY educational (and fun!)

If you're looking for some obscure scotches, I have a few you might be interested in...

Glenturret -- Made in Crieff, which is in the Central Highlands. The distillery claims to be the oldest contiuously running. They have a very small operation. The distillery makes the same amount of scotch in a year as Macallan makes in a day!

Here's the catch. They don't export to the US. You have to try and find an Independent Bottling or see if there is a UK merchant who will ship it to you.


Littlemill -- This is a Lowland scotch. It's made just north of Glasgow. Lowland scotches tend to have an earthier, grassier taste to them. Little mill is a nice smooth scotch. It's also fairly inexpensive.

Inchmurrin -- Inchmurrin (INK - MYUR - IN) is made at the Loch Lomond distillery in an area with some of the highest mountain peaks in the country. Inchmurrin is a middle if the road scotch with great honey and heather flavors and a real smooth finish. Some Independent Bottlings will be sold under the name Loch Lomond, but these are not directly bottled at the distillery.

Glenlochy -- This one might be a little harder to find. The distillery closed some 20 years ago and bottlings are getting scarce. Made in Fort William which is a little town at the foot of the tallest mountain in Scotland, Ben Nevis. Just like Inchmurrin, it's got those really great middle of the road honey and heather notes with a little more of that peat flavor.

There are few things I know a lot about. Scotch is one of them. I hope you get to try some of these. If anybody has any questions. I'll be glad to talk whisky till my finger bleed from typing.

Later.

Y'all got al the greats already so I'm just gonna say that I agreed to the upmost about how good scotch is.

I just got into scotch recently and I'm on a budget. I've enjoyed Oban 14 year. I like glenlivet-12 year. I've tried glenfiddich-12, but I can't get myself to like it.

Laphroig! A wonderfully smoky Islay whisky, tastes great but you can only drink so much.. Like all Islay's it's got such a strong taste that a little is enugh. But don't drink it if you are going to drink any ather kind of scotch afterwards, they won't hardly taste anything..

I also am just getting into scotch. So far ive only tried chivas and johnny black and like them both. I agree that a cigar adds alot to a nice glass and nekkid women dont hurt either. I'll have to try it neat next time ive been drinking it w/ water or recently sometimes on the rocks. I did discover that w/ soda ruins the taste. Im glad you started this thread i had been thinking i needed to try some more brands.

You've all named such wonderful single malts here.

I'd like to second Pack on the Laphroig, strong stuff.

Another one is Talisker from Skye - I just finished a bottle last week.

don't forget the peaty Laphroigh
(probablyt spelt it incorrectly as it's been a while!)

ah, I see Pack already mentioned it

Macheath,you beat me to the punch.Talisker from the Isle of Skye is excellent,very smooth and makes Walker's black and red seem like paint thinner.Spend a lttle more money and sit back and enjoy.

Maybe we need to try planning a distillery tour of Scotland. It had to be in the summer. I am not going to wear a kilt. If I do drink enough to wear a kilt, I am going to wear underwear (I understand they get a pretty cold wind there). Do we have to bring our own "dancing naked dancing women" [sic]?

I was thinking of creating a thread asking what the best single malts are, and found this one... Great information, and you know Binder, besides the fact that you've made me want to party with you :thumbsup: you've also made me crave a cigar for the first time since I quit smoking in Nov.2001.:grumpy:

I love Scotch...Macallan 12 year for a single-malt, Dewars for a blended.

Yum yum.

I usually drink bourbon for an everyday drink, though--Maker's Mark.

How odd this should come back up right now...


I happen to have a snifter of Glenfiddich 18 in my hand.


Cheers mate...

I almost bought a bottle of Laphroiag Quarter-cask, Double-aged tonight. I'm going to a dinner tomorrow, and I don't know if they are big scotch drinkers (aren't all Japanese?), but I do know that they like bourbon, so I settled for some Rare Breed at 108 proof. I'll go back for the Laphroiag and drink it myself. Love the Islays!

Glenmorangie is my current favorite - the local liquour store only carries the 10 year, though. They seem to be doing a lot of experimenting with finishing their whiskies in different casks, which is interesting.

The Glenlivet is very nice as well.

I recently got a bottle called "Isle of Jura" - fascinating in that it tastes...salty...in a strange, but good, way.

The Macallan is also very good, and nice in that lots of bars tend to have it.

How does one learn about scotch? Do you just buy some and not buy the crap again? Are there books and such? Do they have scotch tours like they have wine tours, cause that'd be awesome.

Yes, they do--in Scotland.

Otherwise, look around your area for a bar known for serving lots of different kinds of Scotches. A good bar will have a Scotch list that is as long as their wine list ;) A good bartender can point you towards some good beginner's choices, and then you can go from there, deciding which tastes in a Scotch you like best.

will:

i am still kind of a novice in the lovely world of single-malts: i had a friend in philly who would bring over outrageous bottles--like johnny walker gold, which is a fine fine thing and others that i can't remember right now---i have been working my way into single malts at a leisurely pace, learning how to taste them, what i like, etc.. it is a fine fine pursuit. so that's how i have been doing it, and i suspect that, with or without books, that's more or less how folk have to do it.

when i am out and about (in the outside world where single malts are expensive), i usually opt for balvennie double cask or 18 because it is reliably good and not backbreaking to buy from a (more or less random) bar.
oban is quite lovely as well.
most of the other good ones have already been listed here, but in bar contexts their prices can be a blow.

it seems like a good plan to explore a range of options when out, decide on something that you want to really check out and get a bottle to consume at your leisure at home. then you need a smoking jacket, a huge fireplace and staff to bring you stuff: you know, like charles foster kane hanging out at xanadu. you dont have to do much actively to turn yourself into charles foster kane, though. i find that after a couple, it sort of happens on its own.

i know there are some fine scotch joints in sf, but i cant remember what or what they are.
if you find yourself in chicago, though, let me know and we can arrange to go to delilahs, which is a very good exploratorium: a dingy little zoo of scotch, bourbon and bad films. excellent place.

TY, snowy and rb. It makes good sense to really hit some good bars that carry a wide selection and have knowledgable tenders. While I'll probably always be an Absolut neat type of guy, there is always room to appreciate any fine spirits.

http://www.pintspub.com

Go there. If you're ever in Denver.


If not... just taste... lots.


I kind of force fed myself scotch for a few years to figure out what I liked.

Are there two Scotch threads running at the same time, or am I going nts.

I could have sworn I answered this already today, but looking down I see none of my posts.

Very odd.

Personally, I like the smokier malts - Tallisker, Isle of Jura and so on.

I have recently come across the delights of the Glenmorangie range of malts aged in different caskets.

They're nice.

Lagavulin and Laphroig are my favourites - I recently discovered Glenturret which is divine.

My two favorites: Glenmorangie and Talisker.