Can you possibly recommend me a nice brand? I'm not familiar with the differences between whisky, scotch, bourbon and so on but am starting to acquire a bit of a taste for the stuff. I really enjoyed Auchentoshan, on the other hand i took a sip of southern comfort and it made me dry heave. Am I being a wuss? Regardless it would be nice to know some similar flavours to the former.
>>6625>>6626 I'm going to give him a little more credit than that and say his comment was on the choice of board. He's saying that actually whisky drinking is a very normal and mainstream activity among men.
Southern Comfort is not a whisky, it's a liqueur, although I believe whisky could be one of its ingredients, I don't know, I don't drink it.
If you liked Auchentoshan then I imagine you will likely enjoy some of the more light and clean malts such as Glenlivet 12, Macallan Gold, Glenmorangie 10, Dalwhinnie 15, Glenfiddich 12 or maybe even Glenkinchie 12.
If you want something contrastingly different but still nice, try the Balvennie Doublewood for something really rich and deep and warming - think fruitcake soaked in sherry, that kind of flavour, or for something more earthy and smoky, Laphroaig 10 is the go-to malt - it tastes kind of like a glass a air pollution with a spoonful of sugar - in a good way!
Whisky is a really exciting thing to explore, but it is nowhere near as nice to your wallet as it is to your tastebuds.
I don't know whether OP will find this hugely useful as most (but not all) of the videos are focused on specific whisky and whisky-like drinks rather than the general principles behind appreciating them, but I want to link to our old maltmate that used to get posted here years ago. He has a number of videos about Auchentoshan varieties and in the one I just watched (57b) he said that veteran whisky drinkers, perhaps unfairly, think of it as good for beginners because of its characteristic sweetness. He gave examples of distilleries that produce a similar taste.
>>6623 Auchentoshan is the only triple-distilled Scotch, which gives it that smoother character. Irish whiskeys are triple-distilled, so you could try them.
Personally I prefer the harsher, sweet/sour burn of peaty malts, but it's entirely down to personal taste. The good thing is, there's never been such a range of tastes and characters to choose from, and that's just in Scotland. Find yourself a good wine merchant or top-class offie, show an interest, ask a few questions and any proper whisky fan will soon be offering you samples. Happy hunting.
>>6632 >>6634 >>6680 Thanks. It was the slightly citrus flavour I liked most about it. I might give one of the Glenmorangie's a go as many of these other things are less common in the shops around here.
IMO most people encounter whisky through blends which are mouthpiss. This turns people off whisky and it is seen as a refuge of old men and boredom.
OP - as a dabbler into the world of single malt I suggest a Speyside. That's how I started, with a Glenmorangie. I'd suggest this as an entry level dram. Auchentoshan is what Glaswegian pissheads throw down their necks. It's rather bland and flavourless.
From Glenmorangie I moved onto harder stuff. I thought I'd try the Aberlour 10yo but it went on to the A'bunadh.
I've gravitated towards Islays which I find to be the best of whiskies but I wouldn't advise a youngling to try these as it may invoke a reaction as much as a dram of Bells.
I think the taste of Laphroaig has become less smoky and more sweet in the past 5 years. I've gone off it. I have half a bottle of Jura Superstition left, this is my stock whisky.
I've never had an Ardbeg, but I'm in 2 minds whether to answer to the Lagavulin or the Uigeadail.
Lagavulin is fantastic, especially since you seem to like your heavy hitters. I've been using it recently in a stilton and roquefort sauce, which should say something about its presence.
>>6680 Irish whiskey also tends to come from a Coffey still rather than a pot still, but don't let that cloud your judgement. Re-distilling tends to make for a "smoother" flavour, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed for its subtleties if done right. I'll got all out snob here right now while going perfect hipster avoiding all brands... and not get hung up on spelling. This is for a self-indulgent experience, the kind of masturbatory thing you should never do in public.
Get a snifter. A proper whisky one is best, but a brandy one is a good start and more easily found. Even a tulip wine glass will do to start with. Pour your measure into the glass and waft the scent. Take it in, resist the urge to emulate the floral bullshit reviews tend to spew. Just take in the smell. Now take a tiny sip, just enough to wet your tongue and wait a second or two. See what develops. Feel what develops. Carefully inhale across your tongue and, again, feel it. That inhalation is like smoking, puff too hard and it'll bite you.
If you enjoyed how that felt, try a bigger sip. This may one of them, one of the ones you enjoy neat. Give it a moment and then try another, you want to make sure. Chances are its' not. Chances are it just burns unpleasantly. Never fret, chewing on a tea bag is no fun, so add a measure of water. 1/4 the volume is a good start, then start over. Waft it, notice the new aroma that suddenly blossomed. It might even be ready to sniff directly.
If, at 3/4 dilution you still find it lacking, it's just not for you and that's fine. Try another.
Back on earth, some simple advice: labels make an extraordinary effort to ensure their brands have a consistent flavour, and almost all of them conform to the stereotypes (low lands, high lands, islay, spey side, what not) so learning from their output is worthwhile. In fact, as long as you're going for "finished" whiskeys, finding out what region a whisky is from and what stereotype they're likely aiming for is your best bet to find something you like.
I can't access the rest of this thread due to being overseas, however my favourite moderately priced whisky is Cardhu.
Of course if you're willing to spend a lot more, or money is no object, then Johnny Walker Blue Label is fucking sublime. Anyone who shits over all blended whiskys without having tried this, should.
Returning to this, I'm planning to get myself a Laphroaig 10yr on ralfy's advice. Caol Ila would probably suit me better (Laphroaig being sweeter than desirable, as >>6684 tells us) but it's almost a tenner more and this is already an extravagance. Am I making a mistake?
Why is it that when I want to get drunk off the cheapest whiskey or similar high strength spirit, I need to pay appreciably more compared to the cheapest beer, wine, or cider? It seems to me that the government wants penny pinching alcoholics to get fatter and contract diabetes.
>>7861 Spirits are taxed at a higher rate than other alcoholic drinks in this country, presumably to deter/extract more money from hardcore drunks.
Ciders on the other hand have a particularly low tax rate, this is meant to promote small cider breweries but equally benefits frosty jacks and the like.
>>7865 Is it actually any good though? I got a bottle from Lidl once that was the same price, and I never knew there could be a truly disgusting whisky until that point.
>>7863 I've not heard of that but possibly, though the fact that scotch whisky has to be matured for a certain period of time (I thought 8 years was the minimum but wikipedia reckons it's 3 years) puts the price of most scotches up above that of quick and easy spirits like vodka or gin.
The duty on spirits is £27.66 per litre of pure alcohol. VAT is paid on top of that, so the total tax on a 70cl bottle of spirits would be no less than £8.71.
