Whisky (every)day™!

Costco had whisky on sale today, so I expanded my small collection with a bottle of Lagavulin 16. Very nice, with a lovely peaty flavor. This one's a keeper. I'm tempted to go back and pick up a bottle of the Oban, which was the other sale item that I've never tried.

My favorite, however, remains Ardbeg Uigeadail, which is liquid fire in a bottle.

Awesome. I'll have to ask the guy at the liquor store when I go there tomorrow. We're, er, out of whipped cream vodka. I have NO IDEA how that happened.

Oban is exceptional, very much recommend picking some up; Lagavulin is possibly my favorite Islay scotch (...other than Laphroiag 15, which isn't made anymore, which is a tragedy).

Stupid liquor laws in Michigan mean that prices are always pretty low, but there's no such thing as a 'sale' on hard alcohol.

All I know is that compared to what people say they can get, say, Balvenie Doublewood for out in LA, I wouldn't call our prices "low" (I vaguely recall Loyd saying it was ~$38ish out there, vs. $60 here).

Absolutely agreed on all points, except for the Laphroaig, which tastes like gnawing on a wool rag soaked in kerosene.

On that note, this was last nights tasting for me:


The Yamazaki was a big surprise. Nice and smooth, yet complex. An excellent whisky, and my first japanese bottle.

I have a Yamazaki, that I really like. As you say lovely and smooth. And I have a half bottle, which I'm too lazy to go down and check the name of, but there's probably a picture in this very thread, of Japanese cask strength that is probably my favourite bottle in my entire collection /20+ bottles) right now. I'm definitely going to try more Japanese malts.

I almost bought a Swedish single malt in the tax free shop on the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki, but after tasting it in the casino bar and finding it nice but underwhelming, I couldn't bear to pay the same for a young bottle of Swedish malt that an aged bottle of good Scotch malt would cost.

Oh man, that sucks. :(

Picked up Bowmore 12 year old tonight. For an inexpensive single malt, it's surprisingly good.

I like Bowmore a lot. It's worth hunting down the Bowmore Darkest, which is a 15 year old that spends time in both bourbon and sherry casks. Still has that nice Islay bite to it, but there's also some rich chocolatey flavor.

I definitely will do that, thanks for the suggestion. My bottle got killed today at a party we hosted...no one touched the Walker Black I put out, once they tried the Bowmore.

Damn people having good taste!

Aww, man, that's not very fair! Black is a fine drinker; Blue is even better (and should be for the price). I don't know if I'd choose Black over an Islay, since that's my cup of tea, but if everyone else was making for the Bowmore, well, Johnnie and I might have our own private party, eh? Edit: Wait, I'm thinking of Green, aren't I? Carry on, then.

That Bowmore Darkest stuff does sound pretty great. Thanks for the tip, nlanza!

If you're looking for a nice blend, apart from the Compass Box stuff, which is arguably overpriced (though delicious) try Monkey Shoulder or Sheep Dip.

Quick (dumb) question: is there a particular reason that scotches are sometimes name "The ________?"

Because their supposed reputations are such that they deserve a proper title.

Some of these whiskies have histories that go back hundreds of years, so their single malt has become known to be a specific thing over a long length of time.

Monkey Shoulder is excellent, but can be hard to get in the US -- I have a bottle a friend brought back from Scotland that I've been slowly rationing for the past couple years, since the godforsaken PA liquor system has never even heard of it.

Eureka! It's even better: It's because of lawsuits and copycats.

Long story short, before single malts were known by the distilleries that produced them, they often referred to a region, and so after Glenlivet became a favorite of King George IV. Other distilleries in the area appended Glenlivet to their name (including Balvenie and Macallan), leading the original Glenlivet to sue. In order to differentiate themselves from the others, they began the definite article nonsense and trademarked "the Glenlivet," instead of just "Glenlivet," and after winning their lawsuits, the "the" stuck. A hundred years later, other scotchmakers would copy that as a marketing gimmick.

The more you know! cc extarbags

Awesome. Thanks for helping out!

My birthday is this weekend. So, we went shopping. :)

Got a swiss chocolate Baileys that puts the "mainstream" one in a pocket; a swiss whiskey to try out and a Glenlivet that better be worth the price!! Love little cozy whiskey shops hidding full of whiskey barrels in a corner of the old town. \O/

I think I'm in love with that Santis logo.Bad. Ass.

I had no idea that such a thing existed. Swiss single malt. And that 30 year old cask strength looks like it must have set you back a few bucks.

It's only a few countries over, I think I'm popping down for a taste...

That Swiss malt is probably the weirdest thing I've ever tasted. Interesting though.

As for visiting, sure. Bring cookies.

Epiphany: I think. Like younger whiskys better than old ones. All other things being equal, of course. The sweet spot for me seems to be about 10 years.

It's very wierd. It smells and tastes of smoked chouriço and smoked ham ... oO... when I said it was perfect for cooking, hubby went to hide it, lol.

yes, it was a bit expensive but omg was it worth it. It's smooth, fruity and sweet. And it has a subtle oaky aftertaste. plus it gets me tipsy in no time. love it \O/

as for visiting, you're welcome of course. as long as you don't mind having cat hair on your clothes. :)

Oh, I would be bringing my own (cat hair, that is)

One of you whiskey grognards needs to test this out for me: Charbay took one of my favorite beers (Bear Republic Racer 5) and distilled it into whiskey.

Oh man, that's genius. People said that's what Dogfish should've done with that batch of 120 minute IPA that was less than ideal.

I like Ardbeg and I like science, so why haven't I seen this before?

Experts! I know essentially nothing of whisky but would like to learn. My experience to date: I had some Jameson once, but was already drunk and didn't get a good feel for it. I recently had a small quantity of Glenrothes at dinner and found it reasonable. What now? Without advice, I am likely to wander into the liquor store and buy the third cheapest bottle on the shelf.

Do you want more like the Glenrothes, or do you want to try for variety?

If you want to explore more Scotch and liked how the Glenrothes tasted, pick up a bottle of Macallan, Glenmorangie, or Balvenie. All three are good, and you'll do well with any of their bottlings.

If you'd like to try something a little peatier and smokier, pick up a bottle of Ardbeg or Bowmore to get a taste of Islay whiskies.

If you want to branch out to American whiskies, try picking up a bottle of Bulleit, either their rye or their bourbon. Both are pretty good examples of their styles, though I like the rye better.

If you want to try something like the Jameson but better, pick up a bottle of Redbreast, which is the best non-ridiculously-expensive Irish whiskey I've had.

It's like a choose-your-own-adventure, but with booze.

TL;DR version: Pick up a bottle of Glenmorangie, ideally one of the ones with a funky name like Quinta Ruban or Lasanta. Those spend time aging in reused casks of different varieties of wine, which gives them a really interesting and smooth flavor. Branch out from there based on what you're curious about.

If you're unsure if you really like whiskey or not, Famous Grouse is about as good a getting-your-feet-wet scotch as any for around $20 (it's cheap because it's a blend, as opposed to the single malts). On the American whiskey front, my favorite is Evan Williams Single Barrel ($35ish).

If you want the classic take a slug sharp wheezy gasp choke out the word "smooth!" experience, get a bottle of Booker's (that is, if you want to get kicked in the nuts by a really good bourbon -- if you want to get beat up by a hobo, go Kentucky Gentleman).

Famous Grouse it is; and, if that goes well, something more expensive. If it tastes like it could power a race car, though, I'm coming for you.

If it tastes like it could power a race car, then you're not gonna be a scotch drinker :)

I'd actually suggest finding a place that offers whiskey or scotch tastings. They're not cheap but it is the easiest way to try several different types and discover the differences and what you like and what you don't. Buying a bottle is a big commitment and if you don't much like what you bought it might turn you off whiskey entirely and you could miss out as the variety of available whiskeys is huge!

Yeah, this is a good idea. The selection will be more limited, but you should still be able to get decent examples of the major styles in the wee little bottles.

Didn't see any such bottles at the store earlier, alas. Anyway, Famous Grouse is in the . . . that is to say, I have procured it.

Goddamn it, Talisker, I got a bottle of Talisker and every time I drink it I think of you.

FWIW, I also agree that Famous Grouse is a good entry level blended whisky. It plays above its level, if you know what I mean.