help me like whiskey

[Hugh Conway]

But how many different single malt scotches have you tried? They are all quite different and have major taste differences. I don't try to sway anyone either way, but maybe you just haven't tried one that suits your taste. Scotch is yummy!

Tasting single malt scotchs is different than drinking whisky

Dick Swinging pretensious connoisseurship vs. drinking.

[tex1230]

I grew up on Jack and still drink it. nothing wrong with it any more than any other mid-level liquor. It most certainly is not swill or rotgut...

Not a fan of woodford - customer gave me a bottle. I drank it and went right back to Jack.

I don't believe whiskey/bourbon can be compared to scotch. two entirely different experiences. A nice Oban or Macallan and a cohiba...pretty much the perfect end to an evening.

[Huckin eh?]

Fuggit - get yerself a bottle of Macallan 25 and drink it all.

If anyone else calls Jack Daniels "Bourbon" or "good" I will personally kick your ass. If you want to learn what good liquor tastes like don't buy anything that high schoolers drink.

Scotch (single Malt)
-Macallan Cask Strength... mix with a little filtered water or one ice cube. We drink Scotch too warm in the US. You need to water this Scotch down since it's between 100-120 proof. Seriously, you need to do it to get the taste right. Best bang for the buck IMHO.
-The aforementioned Lagavulin... a smoky Islay
-Laphroaig... another smoky tasting Islay
-Oban... briny, peaty, completely different tasting than the above
-Cragganmore... a classic Speyside Whisky

Bourbon (small Batch)
-Woodford Reserve
-Blanton's
-Booker's (also cask strength - needs water or an ice cube)

Agreed. Tippster knows his shit!

I hated scotch when I was young until I tried my first Glenfidich strait up. It was so smooth and tasty, I was in awe. It is a great scotch to get introduced to the wide world of.
Then the world of Scotch opened up to me and I had the chance to try many others from your average blends to single malt magic.
Some you will like more than others and some you may not like much at all, however, you will aquire a taste for what you like and should be able to like it straight up or "neat" as it were!

There is no classier drink in my mind!

[lemon boy]

Jack = tastes like liquid smoke = fail.

I don't think if you dislike it you can grow to like it so don't bother. But for the whiskey drinkers, if you ever get a bottle that just plain sucks, two drops of bitters in just about anything will make it drinkable.

[lemon boy]

oh and scotch is for preening nancyboys, get over it.

[Tippster]

A nice Oban or Macallan and a cohiba...pretty much the perfect end to an evening.

Why not drink the Rum designed for a Cohiba?

[Steven S. Dallas]

I don't like sweet drinks. Beam and ginger is way too sugary for me, unless it's made with real ginger beer, and many bourbon offerings are too sweet even neat. For brown liquor, then, I really like the Elijah Craig and Bulleit offerings- check 'em out. Baker's is good too and a little easier to find.

Whiskey, whiskey... What time is it?

[advres]

Tasting single malt scotchs is different than drinking whisky

Dick Swinging pretensious connoisseurship vs. drinking.

I would take your statement under advisement but I am a dick swinging pretentious connoisseur so I have no time for your blathering.

[summit]

So why all the hate for Scotch, really? It seems cultural rather than the drink itself?

I've been wanting to explore Scotch, but it seems like an expensive endeavor unless I can find a sampling or something...

[Jer]

If we're talking whisky:
George Dickel No. 12 Tennessee Whisky.


Dalmore is a gentle single malt scotch, not too hard on the pocketbook either. Macallan's has great subtlety and complexity, very pricey, still very smooth. Lagavulin has too much character for many, but can't be beat on a cold wet evening. Laphroaig ... my wife calls it burnt formaldehyde ... and she has a point.


Have a tasting party.

Rule #1: Nobody drives home.

Rule #2: everybody brings a decent bottle.
Halfs & opened are ok - we're talking expensive stuff here, gotta keep the barrier to entry as low as possible. This may encourage the connoiseurs to bring several opened bottles from their reserve.

Rule #3: everybody keeps what's left of their bottle (swap what you will) - unless this is gonna be a regular tasting, in which case it's ok to leave it all with the host, since every attendant will play host at some point.

Rule #4: absolutely no spitting.

[RootSkier]

If you can find it, the Pendleton stuff that Parvo posted a pic of is the smoothest, easiest drinking whiskey I've ever had.

[advres]

I've been wanting to explore Scotch, but it seems like an expensive endeavor unless I can find a sampling or something...

Sit down with a bartender that really enjoys scotch has a big selection and tell them you want to learn. If they are not busy, they will go through a bunch with you. You're first few times doing this might be a little pricey, but you will have a few good ideas of what you like.

When buying an expensive bottle, remember it is going to last a good while. A good scotch is something you come home to and have a couple of fingers to unwind and that's it. You don't have 10 drinks of it in a night. You save the JD for those nights.

[Jer]

Sit down with a bartender that really enjoys scotch has a big selection and tell them you want to learn.

Good idea. Expect to drop $15 a shot for the better stuff, though. Might wanna build a relationship with said bartender.

[Hugh Conway]

Good idea. Expect to drop $15 a shot for the better stuff, though. Might wanna build a relationship with said bartender.

You might want to get a second mortgage before trying this. Just find a decent liquor store and buy a couple bottles. Split with a friend.

[Sparky]

oh and scotch is for preening nancyboys, get over it.

Come out on the piss with me in Glasgow and say that, then we will see who the preening nancy boy is In fact that is a good challenge to lay down in any bar in Scotland, the rougher the better, you'll be guaranteed some lively drinking buddies.

If I'm heading out and looking for a decent (cheaper) whiskey I bring Jameson's; good straight (neat), out of the bottle or if you must mix it, it goes great in a black pint.

Good way to learn how to drink whiskey is drink it with a beer back. I like a Heineken or a Pilsner with a Jack rocks.

It's all good

[kokomas]

x2 for jack. throw it, rocks, and a splash of cherry juice in there and you can give one to your chick too

[advres]

Good idea. Expect to drop $15 a shot for the better stuff, though. Might wanna build a relationship with said bartender.

absolutely! I should have mentioned this.

You might want to get a second mortgage before trying this. Just find a decent liquor store and buy a couple bottles. Split with a friend.

Anyone who complains about the price of single malt scotch should probably not be buying single malt scotch. How, do you propose to "split" with a friend. For the love of god, don't say pour into some other liquid storage container....

[MakersTeleMark]

+1 for drawing the line between shite and whiskey!

Do you mean whiskey and whisky?

Try some blends to start, then work your way towards where your pallet directs you (both geographically and tastewise). Here's a great one to begin with:

[Diamond Joe]

Mmmmm whiskey...

My favorites are Makers Mark and Crown Royal.

Best served over rocks with a splash of water or seltzer water. Pretty delicious with Ginger or Coke too. Makers Mark manhattan is my favorite drink to order at a bar..

edit: Knob Creek is pretty tasty too..

[lemon boy]

Come out on the piss with me in Glasgow and say that, then we will see who the preening nancy boy is In fact that is a good challenge to lay down in any bar in Scotland, the rougher the better, you'll be guaranteed some lively drinking buddies.

Riiiiiggght, so what do the fellas at the working class "rougher the better" pub have ta dae wif 't' hunna quid a litre "scotch?" nae much ladde, nae much [/horrible scottish accent]

Summit-

The best answer is to save yer ducats a bit and the next time you're down in the city head to one of the big stores (tipsy's, applejack, davidsons, argonaut, liquor mart etc…) and buy the youngest (eg: least expensive) single malt scotches from a couple different geographic areas and/or a couple of minis along the same lines, probably can do 2 bottles + 4 minis for <$75. That'll give you an idea of what the tastes are and where the geographical differences equate to taste differences.

Tasting, the preening nancyboys ("PNBs") will be around shortly to roundly shout me down but: pour 2 fingers into a rocks glass, toss in a cube or two and take a sip immediately (undiluted and uncooled) then just drink away as the ice melts, it'll give you the full range of tastes appropriate to the scotch to see how you like to drink it. Standard whiskey tasting/drinking protocol in otherwords.

Sadly, the PNBs have ruined scotch values and now almost none of it hits a really acceptable spot on the quality to price ratio. Some of the single bbl American whiskeys are starting to go this way as well but in the end the PNBs have not yet ruined the value proposition* and there's some great booze for not too much $ in that market.

*I'm hopeful that the more dramatic stylings of 'Murikan whiskeys will never be accessible to their delicate and wilting palates.

[It should be obvious that I'm mostly just heckling here about the PNBs]

[Hugh Conway]

How, do you propose to "split" with a friend.

Uh, pour it into their glass? You buy 2 bottles, they buy 2 bottles, you trade glasses. Half the back bar rare shit is watered down or another brand anyways. The best thing about Single Malt - spraying to people you don't know about how much you spent!

/thrunt

lemonboy has it down

[advres]

The best thing about Single Malt - spraying to people you don't know about how much you spent!

I haven't heard one person here who says they like single malt mention how much money their collection cost.

Uh, pour it into their glass? You buy 2 bottles, they buy 2 bottles, you trade glasses.

I guess you drink four bottles of scotch in a sitting? A person who has many different bottles can have them for years. Are you going to go over your friends house when you want a sip of one of "your" half bottles.

Half the back bar rare shit is watered down or another brand anyways.

Generalizing about all establishments makes you a moron. Actually, so does all of your comments. Why do you use this alias so much when you are so close to 10G and all???

[fish]

*shudders* i think i'm gonna need about 15 years to actually begin to like whiskey straight up. for now I'll stick with the "highschooler" drinks

edit: and if you're going to mix it with coke or something like that what the hell is wrong with going cheap with something like jack. no reason to waste your money

[Diamond Joe]

^^ um, actually Jack isnt even that cheap. I'd recommend Seagrams 7 for your first foray into the wonderful world of whiskey, especially if you want cheap (but decent) stuff to mix with coke.

[bagtagley]

LB, quit yer bitchin' and out with some non-PNB bourbon values. Otherwise I'm gonna continue to enjoy my liquid smoke and overrated Maker's.