Okay well no thanks to that.

So I'm buying one present this year, it's for my grandfather who loves single malt but never spends any money on himself. Last year I got him a Macallan 18 that he really enjoyed. I feel reasonably confident that he wouldn't care for an Islay Scotch.

Suggestions? HP 25? 30?

yea highland park or maybe the springbank 18? Balvenie 21 yr portwood is a good one too.

For the amount you're spending, it's going to be very hard to pick him something he won't like as long as you stay away from the peat monsters.

don't think powers has been mentioned yet and i'm kinda surprised.

been waiting to try this stuff for a long time, and its now finally available in the states.



been drinking the standard powers for a while now and i've always thought that for the price ($22), it was incredibly undervalued, as its very smooth and has almost a sweet finish. the 12 year was $38 and basically everything i like about the cheap stuff is enhanced. give either one a try, i think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

My past whisky experience has been limited to Maker's Mark and Woodford Reserve. My girlfriend got me this:



It was recommended by the liquor store guy. We like it. Didn't see it mentioned in the thread. Anyone have any thoughts? Where does it fall in terms of smoke and richness?

It's crazy how adding a little water just opens the Scotch up!

Mentally and physically preparing for tonight's Single Malt Extravaganza event here in DC.

Will get a trip report out when I can. Let's hope tomorrow doesn't hurt too bad.

All,

Was able to taste a few whiskies last night.

Sazerac 18yo - so smooth, big step up from standard Sazerac (which I really like)
George T Stagg 2010 - this year 143 proof! intense.
Pappy Van Winkle 23 - man is that good
Ardbeg Supernova - SUPER peaty, lives up to the hype for sure
Glenfarclas 40 - incredibly smooth and balanced, but flavors were a little muted/washed out for my taste
Glenrothes John Ramsay - this was amazing. super smooth w/ lots of classic big Glenrothes flavor and a bit of bite

Also got to try some reserve/single barrel versions of Evan Williams, Parker, Woodford Reserve, and Knob Creek. All were fine, nothing really stood out.

Wow. I am chugging water now to minimize the pain tomorrow.

So I saddled up and hit up the extravaganza tonight. Having never been to such an event, I really didn't quite know what to expect. My usual single malt cohorts couldn't join me, so I was running solo. Not sure if that's better, or worse....

First, they had a Q&A panel of the major brand representatives. There were a couple of interesting nuggets, mostly about independent bottling and why the industry is shifting away from "years" bottling in some instances. Clearly, these guys have a ******** of fun and there was not a question that didn't spark a joke, smart ass remark, etc out of the panel. Very lively, although it was clear the Macallan guy was not pleased with some independent bottler being sold at Cosco. It was kind of helpful for me to get a better sense of what exactly that type of bottler does.

After the Q&A, they moved us all into the large tasting room (along with other folks who didn't come to the Q&A. At least we got in first, which is always a bonus.

The large square room had tasting stands on the edges, with tables in the middle for sitting/eating/chatting. I hadn't realized there would be food, so I actually ate earlier. No matter, I was there for whiskey.

Thanks to the good recommendations in this thread and personal past preference, I had identified about two dozen high priority targets to try. Of the probably two dozen stands, each had 3-7 types. I was surprised/disappointed that the folks serving were not half naked hot chicks (points to Macallan crew for getting it right). Now admittedly, the guys serving were actually really knowledgeable about their various lines--so it might have actually been better than hot T&A. Although I'm still debating that.

Not having ever attended a function like this, I had no idea how quickly the more expensive expressions would go away--so I wasted no time and got right into the swing of things. (In actuality, almost all expressions were there til the end--so rushing was not necessary). Surprisingly most of the room actually claimed tables and ate first. Guess they knew...

It was no issue not coming with anyone, since nearly everyone was there for the same purpose and we all shared a common hobby. It was easy to chat with the other (mostly) guys standing in the short lines waiting to get to the tables. Lots of interesting backgrounds, very diverse and not what I would have expected in the DC environment. Several had actually come into town specifically for the event from as far away as Tuscon!

In terms of tastings, one of the vets tried to explain to me how important spitting out the samples was if you actually wanted to try and remember/describe anything after the first 4 or 5. Well, let's just say I failed miserably at taking his advice and only managed to get in water between samples. That's probably a massive hangover saver and good idea....still not quite the plan.

Didn't take long before I was clearly blasted and my notes degraded to the level of "Awesome" or "Buy now" without any actual descriptions. I'll just have to trust my brain in the moment.

If I did it again, I'd do two things different. First, I'd spend a little more time at each station that I was interested in and walk through the various bottles one at a time. For instance, instead of rolling up and asking for the top/most expensive offering--start lower down the chain and have the host explain it and the entire line. This does two things: 1) Helps you get a mental picture to go with the sampling to help ID the differences and 2) Seemed to be more likely to get you a larger pour of the really good stuff. This may limit how many distilleries you can get to, but I found it to be really informative when I did it (or watched others do it).

Second, I should have started with the more delicate offerings and moved to the more peaty ones. Pretty sure that after I had the more peaty offerings, it was not as impactful going back and trying something a little lighter or sweeter. The pallet was just not quite able to make that backward transition, plus the extra drunkenness.

Couldn't tell you all the things I tried, but here's my list from random notes:
Glenmorangie Rare 18
Glenfiddich 21
Classic Cask 18
Glenlivet 18
Glenvilet 21
Balvenie 17 Peat Oak
Isle of Jura Prophecy
Glenrothes 85
Yaamazaki 18
Ardberg Airigh Beist --I guess they are discontinuing this line
Highland Park 25
Glen Garioch Reserve
Macallan Fine Oak 15, 17
Macallan 18
Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX

Again, my level of pallet sophistication is very low--so outside of broad generalizations my comments aren't going to be too useful. I'd say that if I were to go buy new bottles off that that list it would be: Glenrothes 1985, Glenlivet 21, Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX, and the Balvenie Peat Oak (I'm not a real peat kind of whiskey drinker, but this was a really nice bottle that I tried very early and might make a good stepping stone).

Not the cheapest event in the world (could have owned a really top notch bottle of my choice) but overall worth the cost. Recommend such an event to any single malt or whiskey enthusiast.

Bought 4 bottles yesterday:

George T Stagg 2010 Bottling (SOOO happy I got this), waiting for it to be shipped here though, K&L said they were getting 15 bottles and the waiting list was >150 people.
Glenrothes 1985
AG Rattray 18
Ron Zacapa 23

We had a little mini halloween preparty drinking and everyone liked the 1985 slightly more than the Rattray. We ended up drinking almost the entire bottle of Ron Zacapa though, that stuff is incredible.

Also, completely agree with the Balvenie Peat Oak recommendation, LOVED that at Whiskyfest and unfortunately havent seen it around since.

Went to the Whisky show in london, fine selection of the usual suspects. 30 year old Talsiker was v.nice.

Most interesting (amazing even) by far was the Auchroisk 20 Year Old

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-13015.aspx

We were instructed to take a decent swig and swill it round the mouth for 10 seconds before drinking. Filled the mouth like sherbert and I can't begin to describe the array of flavours. It was spectacular.

Tried the same technique with the talisker and it was vicious, not recommended. Will try with some other speysides sometime.

Wonder if anyone else has come across this malt or phenoemna.

I was extremely underwhelmed by the Pappys 15 yr. Was much harsher than I expected. I very much enjoy Blantons or Makers Mark more at this point. I'm still going to try the 20 and the 23 though.

A lot of good recommendations I saw in a somewhat quick read through so thought I'd try and contribute. I'm no expert but I know what I like and agree with the talisker and lavagulin recommendations. Lavagulin is my favorite scotch. Only area I think I can add to the discussion is with Irish whiskey on both ends of the price spectrum.

Tullamoredew- Not expensive at all, about the same as Jamison, Powers, or Bushmills but I think much smoother and better. I usually keep a bottle on hand and put it on the rocks just to sip while I have a couple Guiness. But if I'm running hot, and its not always easy to find...

Middleton- Now this is expensive, but just so so good. I prefer it to any scotch, or any liquor for that matter. So good and for the guys here buying expensive scotches and that have nice collections, mabye give this a try. In the states when I can find it, its around $130 for a bottle. Most stores don't have it but it can be found if your willing to look or have a good store near you. I really like good scotch like lavagulin so not trying to knock it, but this is my favorite so just thought I'd chime in because I didn't see it mentioned.

George T Stagg on truck for delivery at the moment. SHIP.

Wow the Stagg is just incredible. It is a tad overwhelming in terms alcohol content both on the nose and as you are swallowing, but the taste on your tongue is just incredible. Barely beats out the Willett 16 as my favorite Bourbon so far.

For anyone else in the Vancouver area:

Still a few tix left for this year's HopScotch http://www.hopscotchfestival.com/
BC Liquor will be releasing this year's premium whiskies on Saturday http://www.bcliquorstores.com/event/...spirit-release
This includes the entire Buffalo Trace Antique Collection

Thanks to everyone who has contributed with their recommendations and thoughts. This thread inspired me to start my journey into whisky and I've enjoyed it.

The Balvenie 12 Doublewood has been my favorite as a new scotch drinker. I had a few friends try it with me and all were very impressed. Highly recommend it to someone starting out.




Anyone else had this yet? Little more flavorful and smoother than original Maker's, a nice little upgrade over the regular stuff.

pO,

"Little more flavorful and smoother than original Maker's, a nice little upgrade over the regular stuff. "

That's pretty much how I'd describe it too. A little more caramel/sweetness as well. I think it stacks up very favorably against everything in the "a little nicer than Makers" bucket - Knob Creek, Woodford, etc.

Couldn't get a bottle of any of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection this Year. They only had 9 bottles of the George Stagg for the entire province. Went with the Booker's True Barrel and the Laphroaig 18 yr old instead.

Can't believe I've missed this thread up until now.

By far the best whiskey I've had.

I wish I hadn´t found this thread. I´m going to get nothing done now.

My dad has been a serious collector for about 10 years and probably has over 500 of the finest malts you can get. He cleared out all the normal stuff you would buy to drink to make room for the rare collectable stuff. That being said, his `drinkers´ include some pretty expensive gems.

I´ll try to get some pics when I go home at Christmas. Anyone into whisky would be popping a stiffy in one of his two whisky rooms.

For now, here´s my favourite. An unbelievably smooth lowland malt which stopped being produced years ago but is close to (might have begun already) being started up again under a different name. A group of investors have bought the equipment from the old Rosebank distillery and relocated it on the same stretch of water as the original place.

Got a bottle as a result of this thread, and was not disappointed. Thanks.

+1 to this. Also, TADA!





Got this today at a local shop.

Has anyone here had any experience with Aberlour A’bunadh?

The reviews I've read make it sound like it is to most single malt Scotches what many Californian Cabernets are to Bordeaux: huge favour profile, but perhaps lacking subtlety and structure.

Also it is a single cask bottling, so will vary from batch to batch. Does anybody know whether the quality remains consistently high between batches?

This is my BIL's favorite single malt, but he has nearly run out. Will I be doing him a favour by getting him a refill?

And since this is my first post ITT, I'd like to say Hi! and thanks to all the contributors to the thread. I've enjoyed the reading.

Single malt's currently on my bar are:

Macallan 18
Bowmore Mariner (15)
Longmorn 15
Laphroaig 10
Glenmorangie Sherry Wood (12?)

I also have a bottle of JW Red (it was a gift).

Favorites not currently in stock include:

Lagavulin 16
Highland Park 18
Balvenie Doublewood (12)
Cragganmore 12
Talisker (10?) (my wife likes it)


From the list, you can see that I don't come down on one side of the Islay-Islands/Highland-Speyside fence. I like them both, for different purposes.

My take on Islay single malts I have tried over the years:

Laphroaig 10 - A beast.
Dun Bheagan Islay 8 - A wee beastie.
Ardbeg 10 - A beast stuffed into a suit that is several sizes too small.
Bowmore Mariner - A beast stuffed into a suit and set adrift in a rowboat.
Lagavulin 16 - A beast stuffed into a suit that almost fits, and then sent away to elocution school for a few years.

Anyone like lowlands scotch?

ehmm I dont think you miss anything, maybe improve Johnny walker by diluting it. Now if you want to try a real whisky, not industrial one then yeah diluting is would be nonsense.