Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Scotch

OK guys I need some help here. First off I have no idea as what to look for (I don't indulge) so I need some brand names of a few good single malt Scotchs. It's for a buddy of mine. As for price try to keep it under a C note, around $50 would even be better.

I saw this yesterday.

It's insane.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f11/scotch-69879/

Wow. I don't think I have the patience to go through that. Maybe when I run out of Lagavulin, I'll have a look. The dilution information is interesting, though.

Wow that's a lot of reading, all I want is a name

At the bottom of the thread he lists his budget (under $40) picks and all time picks.

Thanks Dan

I'm sure Arcticdeath will give you ideas.

OK God

I'll drink Scotch on rare occasions, Glenlivet has always been a favorite.

I drink what The Professor (Neil Peart) drinks - 'The Macallan'

I typically don't drink scotch, I prefer blended whiskey (Crown Royal) instead.

However, If I do drink scotch then Macallan's is what I prefer. You can get the 12 year or 15 year versions in your price range (i think it is 30 and 50 dollars for .75 liters.

Finally something I know about.

here are my top recs, all should be available under 100 for sure, 50 in most cases

So my top 3

1. Glenmorangie 10 yr old sherry cask. This one comes in a port cask version but I really like the one aged in a sherry cask. Gives it a sublime sweet flavor. Very smooth

2. Glenfiddich - 10 yr old, available in costco 1.75L for 50 bucks, again a very good one

3. Oban 14yr old - this is one different from the two above, try it at a bar and see what you think.

Enjoy

Sam

I'm going to write some of these down and hit the stores. Thanks guys.

I'm no connoisseur, but I liked 18 year old Glenlivet and Glenfiddich... and moving to where the sheep aren't so scared, Jameson's makes a good Irish Whiskey.

Bren R.

Oh, and for Scotch-based liqueurs - I prefer Glayva to Drambuie.

Bren R.

Watch out, as alcohol and often don't mix very well.

Often, the end result is usually

I’ve never really acquired a preference for drinking pete moss, but the few that didn’t make me want to puke were 15 year and older. Glenmorangie and Hyland Park come to mind (both of which I brought back from the UK). The 19 YO Highland Park was actually quite good; still reminiscent of potting soil, but good nonetheless. My scotch drinking friends were about orgasmic when they tried it. I'm pretty sure that one's well over a hundred in the states though.

I think the first thing you need to do Rick, is find out if he likes single malt or blended. Big difference between the two and the single malt guys generally take offence at even the notion of drinking a blended scotch.

If he likes blended, Johnny Walker Blue will be much appreciated. Sometimes you can find it under a hundred.

If he likes single malt, I’d just wander around a few liquor stores and find one 15 years or older that’s in your price range. Big scotch fans are like wine drinkers, they like to try new ones as they all do vary in taste. Your friend will appreciate the fact that you got him an aged one more than the label (within your budget). Some scotches go for well over $1000 a bottle.

Awesome first line.

Mike, I always imagine your posts being read by Col Sherman T. Potter from M*A*S*H*. With a cigar in one hand and whiskey in the other.

No worries Doc, Wid don't drink.

What do you know? Kate Moss's father really is Pete Moss!

Oh, and, ewwwww....

That's classic. I'm going to have to try that.

I guess Harry Morgan will be playing Mike in Axiom: The Musical

I recently got talked into trying out scotch on another forum I frequent, and had Macallan 12 year recommended as a good starting point w/ scotch. I agree. It's smooth, has a great initial sweetness, just the right amount of heat combined with a warm honey/vanilla finish. I'm sure it's probably pretty simple for the seasoned scotch aficionado, but I like it.

I saw that head-fi link a couple weeks ago and was overwhelmed. Nevermind the amount of scotches there, the combined cost of all those scotches combined is the really overwhelming part. Good scotch is 'spensive!

Laphroaig ... my personal favorite single malt scotch. Tastes like it was aged in a smoked inner tube. Incomparable!!

Dewar's 12 is always nice.

Glenfiddich goes down smooth as well.

Just my $0.02

Scott

Hi Rick,

I am no connoisseur either but I do enjoy a glass after a dinner out or a special occasion.

The trouble with buying for somebody else is that Scotches can be extremely distinct in flavor. The differences can be so pronounced that a Scotch drinker may enjoy one brand but think another is akin to bath water. Some taste smooth, others harsh. Some taste very strongly of wood, others smoky (tobacco, not smoked meat ;-). Some seem a bit fruity, others spicy, others taste like seaweed. You could actually list flavors almost indefinately.

Oh and Yes, that's right I did say seaweed. Some Scotches actually include seaweed as an ingredient. It's subtle in some but the one bottle of Scotch I ever gave away because I didn't like it at all, tasted like sipping seaweed brine.

So, in short it helps to find out what he likes. In my area, you can not get a decent bottle of Scotch for under $50 dollars but I suspect you can where you live.

When I buy my regular Scotch to keep around the house for guests, my favorite is the $80 dollar, 18 year old Glenlivet. It is flavorful but light on the peatiness and is generally a safe bet to serve to guests who might not be brave enough to try more extremely flavored varieties.

I have also recently become a fan of Oban. It's also pretty mellow and a safe serve to guests but I'm preferring the flavor right now.

For special occasions, I'll experiment with a brand or year I have never tried yet but keep the Glenlivet nearby just in case. Experimenting with all the different extremities of tastes is part of the fun of drinking scotch.

So I can't comment much on prices but since Scotch is often flavored by the region it comes from, I'd suggest that any of the Glen....s are traditional a laess radical blend and safest for a gift purchase.

I do appreciate all the suggestions but unfortunately this little town doesn't offer most of them. I did however find Dalmore 12 so that's what I bought. From reviews it seems to be a safe bet.

Finally something i know a little bit about.

well if you're just getting started in scotch i would recommend a glenlivet 15 year old. You should be able to pick that up for about 50.

I personally prefer slightly smokier scotches. Talisker is a safe bet if you want a slightly smoky, but still very smooth single malt. It is beginner friendly as well, but will cost you 70+.

If you want extra smoky you can go with either an ardbeg or a lavagulin. The lavagulin is like a cigar in a glass. And remember good scotch is best drank near in a snifter glass at room temperature or slightly above it. Some like to put in a few drops of water to help release the aroma, but i do not do this.

Murph.. I agree about the glenlivet it is always a safe bet. If you haven't tried yet I recommend talisker. It is like a mix of a 18 year old glenlivet and an ardbeg.

As far as the seaweed. I remember the first time i drank Belvenie. I thought i was drinking sea water. I hated it.... but learned to love it. Some scotches are an aquired taste.

Yup, I've bought a bottle of Taliskers or two in my time. I enjoy it. it's about as smoky as I like to get though. A cigar in a bottle has yet to become an acquired taste for me.
I have not yet tried Ardberg, but it is time to purchase my Christmas bottle, so you have just saved me some decision time at the shelf.

I really enjoyed the bottle of cask-strength Oban my father-in-law brought back from his scotch vacation last year.

We cut it with some water and enjoyed it with cigars.

Last month I bought my brother-in-law's cigar collection and humidor. It's a nice modest set-up worth way more than what he let me have it for, but he knows I appreciate a nice stogie here and there. I'm not a regular smoker at all--I just pick and choose my spots (I really dislike the aftertaste that sticks with me for a day).

Anyway, I've been enjoying this thread because I like Scotch, too. It's an acquired taste, but I definitely want to try out some of the suggestions here.

Peter's post about Scotch and cigars painted a nice picture in my head.

I used to enjoy a cigar myself, that was before my heart went bad I gave what was a decent collection to a real good friend, the same one the scotch is for, knowing he would really appreciate what was being given to him.

It's a weird hobby I haven't come to grips with yet, Rick. . . on one hand I can't stand cigarette smoking--bleck--but there is something quite pleasing about a cigar. I can certainly live without it, I've only smoked a handful of cigars the past few years.

I really got into it 10 years or so ago. I had a girlfriend who was part Cuban and she vacationed for a bit in Cuba to visit family and brought me back a nice box.

Ditto on the cigar mouth destruction thing. I call it the morning-after effect, because I only ever smoke them in the evening.

Exactly!! I hate that taste and feeling.

I never brush my teeth entire mouth better than the night of and morning after a cigar, though.

LOL!!! My tongue probably thinks I'm drunk or something. . .

"Uh, Sean, your teeth are over there."

So I went to BevMo today thinking "it's New Year's Eve and I deserve something special!"

Came back with a bottle of Lavagulin 16. Wow - I like my Macallan 12 but this is on a different level! Reminds me a lot of the Caol Ila we had, Peter. Similar aromas and flavors - smoky, peaty, spicy, but smooth and really well balanced.

I never thought I'd enjoy scotch this much.

My wife got a bottle of Glenlivet 18 from another physician for the Holidays, I've been tempted but I haven't cracked it yet.

Good to know the only one I own is pretty decent.

Heh. Guess I shoulda checked the thread first. For some reason I thought yours was Laphroaig.

Nope. I think I need to buy another one at some point, though, just for some variation.

Because I don't already have enough bottles that don't get drunk around here...

Don't stop yourself. One day you'll have a booze collection to be envied. And if you start to get into good wines, your collection may bring you some nice pocket change at auction.

Having a little glass of Buchanan's Special Reserve 18 blended scotch whisky... very good stuff. I seem to like the flavor of blended whiskys (whether its scotch or not) than i like the flavor of a single malt scotch.

MMM.

I'm ordering myself some Clynelish Single Malt 14 Year based on the recommendations from that head-fi thread.

Along with a fresh bottle of Black Maple Hill, which is inexplicably inexpensive at the moment.

BTW, local Bevmos are now out of stock on the Black Maple Hill, but there's a store in SF that still has them:
KL Wines

Blech! Drinking scotch is like gnawing on a wet piece of oak...
::runs away ducking::

As long as the piece of oak has been soaking in scotch, pass it over.

Will that be Red Oak or White, sir?