Single Malt Scotch.

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Originally Posted by Woodsy

Kilchoman Machir Bay is so good, almost all their expressions are delightful

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Originally Posted by Cruiser

Couldn't agree more. They do everything in-house and it shows in the finished product for sure.

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Much appreciated - thanks! I'll see what I can find around here.

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Originally Posted by bennymac

Word.

The following is not directed at you storm hood:

The catch22 of scotch is that when a person is first trying them out to decide if they like scotch the temptation is to not spend too much - no sense spending $150+ on something they might not like.

The problem is that cheaper bottles are often the younger ones - which can be great don’t get me wrong but, in general, a highland park 21 is gonna be easier drinking than a highland park 12 - so, for someone just getting into scotch, the more expensive bottles are an easier entry.

Except it’s unlikely that a new scotch drinker is gonna start with a bottle that is 20+ years. So they taste the young scotch and are like “omg this is pure turpentine”

Add to that the reverence that peaty Islay scotches get (well deserved) from scotch fans - the newbies say oh I heard Laphroig is good I’ll just try this quarter cask...cue the fireball in their mouth and an uphill battle to convince them that it’s an acquired taste.

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This is me right now. Been exploring the mezcal/tequila/sotol rabbit hole for awhile. Finally tried scotch about a year ago - a Laphroaig 10 at a buddy's wedding. Liked it immediately due to the smokiness and the piney, medicinal flavor/smell? I don't know - maybe I didn't notice anything but the smoke, at first. Bought a bottle and started to wonder about how scotch differs across regions (I find mezcal to cover a lot of taste, smell, and consistency range).

Next, picked up a Balvenie DW. Well, that sure turned out to be quite different. I like it also. Uh-oh.

I do gravitate towards the peat, though. I think that's why I like mezcal so much. Recently picked up the Quarter Cask looking for another smoky offering, and it delivers. But it is different than the 10 yr. Not sure exactly how yet - that's part of the fun.

So now there are three bottles 3/4 full and it just makes sense to have four bottles 1/2 full. 2020 and all...

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Originally Posted by Woodsy

One of my favourite scotch regions is Japan.

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Yes! Once the Japanese culture likes something they tend to work on it until it's perfection. Nikka Coffey Grain whiskey is a favourite in our household. I bought this pack for my wife for her birthday as she is also a gin fiend in the summer.

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If you have a chance to try the Coffey Grain check it out - it's wonderful stuff.

^^^ that nikka gin is so unique, too. really unlike western gin. if you like that you should look for the Suntory gin, it's also worth picking up.

that said, my all time favorite Nikka bottle is From The Barrel. reminiscent of how a lovechild between Highland Park 12 and Old Weller Antique would taste.

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Originally Posted by tgapp

^^^ that nikka gin is so unique, too. really unlike western gin. if you like that you should look for the Suntory gin, it's also worth picking up.

that said, my all time favorite Nikka bottle is From The Barrel. reminiscent of how a lovechild between Highland Park 12 and Old Weller Antique would taste.

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The best gin bar I've ever been to was in an airport in Estonia of all places. My wife and I were already fans of the coffey grain whiskey and when I saw that green bottle I was like WTF is that! - once I tried it I was like oh yeah - I just figured out my wife's next birthday gift.

I'm now on a mission for the Suntory gin - thanks for the tip!

tonight I'm sipping on Jura 10. it's unpretentious, inexpensive, and great for a tuesday sipper. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...93be88af2e.jpg

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I picked up a couple bottles of Highland Park 12 for under $40, which is a good $10+ cheaper than usual. I figure I'll bring up one for my father who prefers scotch. He's not a fan of peat, but because this whisky doesn't have a big peat flavor I'm hoping he'll like it. If not well then there will be a good scotch for me to drink when I visit.

I need to try Jura.

That it a damn good buy on Highland Park 12!

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Originally Posted by Grange

I picked up a couple bottles of Highland Park 12 for under $40, which is a good $10+ cheaper than usual. I figure I'll bring up one for my father who prefers scotch. He's not a fan of peat, but because this whisky doesn't have a big peat flavor I'm hoping he'll like it. If not well then there will be a good scotch for me to drink when I visit.

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nice action.
Highalnd Park 12 has a lot to offer to many. Dont like their cheaper expressions with the viking names though

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Originally Posted by Woodsy

nice action.
Highalnd Park 12 has a lot to offer to many. Dont like their cheaper expressions with the viking names though

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so I finished the bottle of "Magnus" tongight and still dont like it much
it tastes to me like what they must give to Famous Grouse to make their basic blend ( dont hate on the grouse y'all, Royal Warrant of Appointment and all, Macallan in there too. Its what the fucking queen keeps inside the royal flask inside her purse) but with our the other grain and malt wisky to balance it, its crap.

stil love the Highland Park 12, Orkney rules

The following image contains scenes of violence that some may find graphic and upsetting. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Fawk, solo bottle? Or a bunch shipped and this one is the only causality?
That’s $160 down the drain.
This is why I’m reluctant to order my scotch online.

the photo is from a friend. He was ordering his wife a "port advent calendar" and decided to order something for himself. Shipped via UPS - this is how it arrived.

Criminal! Sue UPS or whoever!

That and shipping insurance is only $2 or so.

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Originally Posted by bennymac

The following image contains scenes of violence that some may find graphic and upsetting. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Fer fucks sake

seeing that makes my heart sad.

sorry for your (friend's) loss

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Glen Morangie






Cheers

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Originally Posted by Woodsy

so I finished the bottle of "Magnus" tongight and still dont like it much
it tastes to me like what they must give to Famous Grouse to make their basic blend ( dont hate on the grouse y'all, Royal Warrant of Appointment and all, Macallan in there too. Its what the fucking queen keeps inside the royal flask inside her purse) but with our the other grain and malt wisky to balance it, its crap.

stil love the Highland Park 12, Orkney rules

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I concur. Drinking Magnus tonight and I think I need to save it for the nights I want a second dram.

I am pretty exclusively an Islay drinker. Any suggestions...an unusual suspect, as the main ones have all been drank and enjoyed. I have had many bottles of Laphroaig, Lagovulin, Ardbeg, Bowmore and Kilchoman.

Ardbeg is my typical go to.


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I would look for Caol Ila, Jura, Talisker, Highland Park and Ledaig for starters - others mags probably have more unusual snd interesting suggestions.

Sometimes you can find Port Charlotte bottles for $$$.

You didn’t mention Bruchladdich but I assume you’ve sampled. Octomore is described as an iron fist inside a velvet glove.

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Originally Posted by bennymac

You didn’t mention Bruchladdich but I assume you’ve sampled. Octomore is described as an iron fist inside a velvet glove.

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Bruchladdich has so many expressions I doubt you could drink them all with out setting out to do so and putting in time, but that would be a worthy endevour. Octomore is a one note song. stupid peat. worth a dram but not a bottle.

As mentioned above, many of the other islands and coastal malts are worth wxploring.

Also if y uhave a decent liquor store near you they may have bottlings of islay malts that arent under the distillers labels.

Also, mentioned Compass Box above, they have a peaaty blend that is really good: Compass Box The Peat Monster https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/...gn=socialshare

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Originally Posted by gretch6364

I am pretty exclusively an Islay drinker. Any suggestions...an unusual suspect, as the main ones have all been drank and enjoyed. I have had many bottles of Laphroaig, Lagovulin, Ardbeg, Bowmore and Kilchoman.

Ardbeg is my typical go to.

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We have similar tastes. I've been digging Talisker lately. Their Storm (NAS) has been marked down to $30 in some areas, and at that price it's a steal. It's the smoke and salt I like in Lagavaulin without the bandaid/medicine/oiliness.

Thanks for some good suggestions. I have actually not explored Bruchladdich’s offerings. My general budget is $50 to $75 most of the time. I am mostly drinking it all myself.

Best sources online if I can’t find here locally?

Looks like a ton of options from Bruchladdich. Which one should I start with?


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the classic, or really any one you can get.
with your tastes avoid the unpeated or dont, it may surprise you

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Originally Posted by Woodsy

Bruchladdich has so many expressions I doubt you could drink them all with out setting out to do so and putting in time, but that would be a worthy endevour. Octomore is a one note song. stupid peat. worth a dram but not a bottle.

As mentioned above, many of the other islands and coastal malts are worth wxploring.

Also if y uhave a decent liquor store near you they may have bottlings of islay malts that arent under the distillers labels.

Also, mentioned Compass Box above, they have a peaaty blend that is really good: Compass Box The Peat Monster https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/...gn=socialshare

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I respectfully disagree. Most scotches with “peat” in their name or marketing have been, in my experience, unidimensional “stupid peat” gimmick blended products whereas Octomore, while yes extremely peaty, still has complexity to go with that smoke and fire.

Also there are many versions/bottles of Octomore with various ages and blends and peat levels and taste profiles - so hard to make generalizations.

I don’t consider myself a scotch snob. And I’m not a Bruichladdich super fan. And yes they have released an insane number of scotches that it would be impossible to sample them all. They take an interesting approach to their marketing for sure.

Excellent point(s)
the Octomore I had was nothing but the most vicious peat kick in the mouth I ever experienced in my 25+ years of drinking lots and lots of scotch, a lot of it islay. It was an early edition and I think had been only aged less than 10 years. I havent gone back and sampled any of the later editions as their PPMs put me off.