Seconded. I gave a guy a bottle of their Malted Rye Whiskey as a housewarming gift just tonight. Excellent stuff. Their clearheart rum is also excellent.
Ironically, I have never actually gone there to drink, despite living appx 2 miles away.
Favorite brand of scotch?
- Thread starter CycloneWarrior
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Seconded. I gave a guy a bottle of their Malted Rye Whiskey as a housewarming gift just tonight. Excellent stuff. Their clearheart rum is also excellent.
Ironically, I have never actually gone there to drink, despite living appx 2 miles away.
Not only have I gone there to drink...I went and brewed with 'em one day...got there they were sparging the first batch, watched them run it out, shovelled out the mash tun and stirred back in for the second batch and finished that one out. They also ran the still and pulled barrels for a bottling run the next day. Pretty cool day.
I was told by someone with knowledge on the subject that if you want to develop a taste for scotch, you should not waste your money on single malt. Instead start with a blended scotch and actually mix it with water. Slowly transition to less water until you are drinking straight blended scotch. Only after you have truly developed a liking to the blended should you spend the $$$ on a single malt.
Of course, I am with another poster. Skip the Scotch and find a good bourbon. Cedar Ridge is excellent. If you go there, they will let you sample (your choice of 3), so you can try the bourbon as well as a couple of their whiskeys which would be called scotch if made in Scotland. Plus, they have a good selection of liquor and wine to purchase, more than you will find of their product at liquor store. If you do taste tests, don't make my mistake and waste a sample on the unaged whiskey (moonshine) unless you really like a good burn (can be accomplished cheaper by buying some Hawkeye Vodka).
Of course, I am with another poster. Skip the Scotch and find a good bourbon. Cedar Ridge is excellent. If you go there, they will let you sample (your choice of 3), so you can try the bourbon as well as a couple of their whiskeys which would be called scotch if made in Scotland. Plus, they have a good selection of liquor and wine to purchase, more than you will find of their product at liquor store. If you do taste tests, don't make my mistake and waste a sample on the unaged whiskey (moonshine) unless you really like a good burn (can be accomplished cheaper by buying some Hawkeye Vodka).
patron anejo... ; less blood sugar with aloe......i would say word ...but.... I would kill them anyway
If it takes that much work to like something I think its fair to say it tastes like ****. Although I did learn to drink scotch after drinking it with my dad for a week on vacation. Still not something I'll buy, but I will have a glass every now and then.
If you're trying to drink something similar to your crappy beer, try Lauders. If you want something that tastes good, I would suggest single malt scotches. I don't think the blended scotches are as good but I haven't tried many of the more expensive ones. I'll agree with the others that said Glenlivet is my favorite. The highland single malt scotches aren't quite as good in my opinion but they'll put hair on your chest.
I've had several different Scotches. Chivas, Johnny Walker, etc. So I'm sure I'd appreciate it. Maybe I'll try a glass when I'm at Pappa's.
Honestly, moving from cheap beer to scotch, I'm with the people here who say to start at a bourbon first. I'd recommend Makers Mark as your first jump into whiskey, it's a good and smooth either straight or on the rocks. It doesn't have a lot of bite and is generally, imo, not that complex, but still gives you a good idea what straight whiskey will give you. From there you can start getting into more complex and fuller versions of whiskey, including scotch. When you move into scotch for the first time, get a good blended version, then move from there. Scotch is definitely it's own animal, and imo, is an acquired taste, especially those with a definite peat note. I've known very few people who didn't drink a lot of whiskey that jumped into a single malt scotch and really enjoyed it.
The only bottle I have on hand right now is The Dalmore, 12 year, single malt. It's not the best, but is a tasty drink for the price. And as has been mentioned, Scotch is actually meant to be enjoyed with a little water. I like mine cool as well, so I either use the frozen stones or I have the molds to make the large ice spheres. I find mixing it over straight ice cubes dilutes it too much.
The only bottle I have on hand right now is The Dalmore, 12 year, single malt. It's not the best, but is a tasty drink for the price. And as has been mentioned, Scotch is actually meant to be enjoyed with a little water. I like mine cool as well, so I either use the frozen stones or I have the molds to make the large ice spheres. I find mixing it over straight ice cubes dilutes it too much.
Perfect. The above two are quality blended scotch. Going from there to a single malt GL18 is the perfect next try.
I agree, Laphroaig is good but getting into the deep end of the pool. If you are starting out on scotch I recommend Johnny Walker Black. It's mellow and smooth. It's about $35 for a 750ml bottle. From there u can decide if you want to go farther out to more expensive scotches.
Edit: deep end in reference to flavor not price.
If you are looking to start I suggest Black Grouse. I was just at WhiskyFest in Chicago and got to sample some amazing whiskys. One I particularly enjoyed was Laphroaid Cairdeas. In my cabinet right now I have Aberlour A'Bundah and a Laphroaig 10.
I agree with Gonzo -- you gotta figure out if you like scotch or bourbon first! I prefer the sweet 'merican taste of bourbon over the earthy taste of scotch.
If I feel like spending around $25-$35 on a bottle, Maker's Mark is usually one of my top choices. I'll take that over a comparable priced bottle of scotch. But once you reach the higher price points, scotch really separates itself from the rest, IMO.
Single malts - lots of good ones but don't be fooled by Glenlivet. It's the bud light of single malts.
Oban is really good.
If you want to try a nice bourbon, try Red Breast...
You might not really know what you're talking about, so I won't hold it against you. When you recommend an "Oban" you might want to be more specific, unless you are talking about every type of scotch they make.
I'm guessing the only GL you've tried is the 12. So I guess, I could see the BL comparison from that.
Give this one a whirl, let me know if you still agree:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-sachs/glenlivets-25000-whisky-t_b_5859164.html
Pretty tough to lump GL into one category like you attempted to do.
