Single Malt Scotch.

[Hood26]

Absolutely agree. I always try to share a floral profile with new folks. I have definitely failed bringing peat to the table, even with the people who introduced me to Scotch to begin with.

[bennymac]

Probably a glass of 20+ year old Speyside (with a big ice cube in it) would be a good introduction scotch.

My first taste of scotch was Talisker - I had bought the bottle for my girlfriend’s dad for Christmas and he invited me to share some (I bought it because it was expensive and the box looked classy).

I bet he was laughing on the inside as he poured that glass. I barely managed to choke it all down.

[Grange]

Talisker is my favorite distillery. I had never liked peated scotch before Talisker. Hell I thought JW was too peated at that point. I was visiting family, who are bourbon drinkers, and they had Talkisker Storm for me to try. They got it as a recommendation from one of their friends who likes scotch. I was hooked from the first sip. The other peated scotches I've had at that time tasted like Listerine, but Talisker Storm tasted like sea brine.

[bennymac]

Talisker is my favorite distillery. I had never liked peated scotch before Talisker. Hell I thought JW was too peated at that point. I was visiting family, who are bourbon drinkers, and they had Talkisker Storm for me to try. They got it as a recommendation from one of their friends who likes scotch. I was hooked from the first sip. The other peated scotches I've had at that time tasted like Listerine, but Talisker Storm tasted like sea brine.

Visiting Talisker distillery is on my bucket list for sure

[tgapp]

Talisker is my favorite distillery. I had never liked peated scotch before Talisker. Hell I thought JW was too peated at that point. I was visiting family, who are bourbon drinkers, and they had Talkisker Storm for me to try. They got it as a recommendation from one of their friends who likes scotch. I was hooked from the first sip. The other peated scotches I've had at that time tasted like Listerine, but Talisker Storm tasted like sea brine.

i'm with you there man. i like Ardbeg for their NAS whisky but i love talisker for everything else. right now i have storm, distiller's, and 18, and they are all worth every penny IMO. fantastic, balanced, sweet, smokey, and briney. so delicious.

[Woodsy]

The Scotch regions are pretty fluid in my mind
the scotch whiskey association has their 5, but highlands Is HUGE and covers a lot of variety, I would argue that the island distilleries ( Skye, Orkney, etc and even salty coastal malts like Oban) are a unique subsection of flavours.
Islay is of course Islay. Speyside share a lot of similarities with each other and Campbeltown only exists as a region because Springbank opened a second distillery there ( if you ever decide to visit Campbeltown, and you should, do not drive there. Fly or take a boat. Sir Paul wrote a long and winding road about getting there and man is it.) I do love me some Springbank.

I think the Lowland whiskys are actually the most approachable in price and palate. good blends of course are too.
Dewars ruins scotch for so many US folks\, I will drink damn near anything else.

and if you do make that trip to Talisker, plan an extra day for hiking. Sligachan on Skye is a great start to enjoy some pretty fun Mountains

[tgapp]

oh and - fwiw, i was the exact opposite in my introduction to scotch. the first scotch i ever tasted was some fancy 18 year speyside at a wealthier friend's house, and i was completely underwhelmed. i thought - "what's all the fuss? it's sweet like bourbon but costs 5 times as much". turned me off to the whole genre for probably 3 years, until someone offered me a pour of ardbeg while hottubbing in ouray, colorado - it was a pretty life-changing experience.

when i introduce people to scotch now i do it through small taster flights - a quarter ounce of each major region, plus talisker for good measure. i usually use macallan as my reference highland, ardbeg for an islay, and (since i don't stock much speyside), Monkey Shoulder as the stand-in for a lowland scotch. and then talisker. when presented like that, most of my friends that i've drank scotch with have gravitated towards macallan, since it feels "balanced".

[Woodsy]

gotya say single malts are awesome and all and I have my favourites, but if yu EVER get a chance to try some Compass box blends, DO IT!

10 year old wisdom from an old fart

[Woodsy]

oh and - fwiw, i was the exact opposite in my introduction to scotch. the first scotch i ever tasted was some fancy 18 year speyside at a wealthier friend's house, and i was completely underwhelmed. i thought - "what's all the fuss? it's sweet like bourbon but costs 5 times as much". turned me off to the whole genre for probably 3 years, until someone offered me a pour of ardbeg while hottubbing in ouray, colorado - it was a pretty life-changing experience.

when i introduce people to scotch now i do it through small taster flights - a quarter ounce of each major region, plus talisker for good measure. i usually use macallan as my reference highland, ardbeg for an islay, and (since i don't stock much speyside), Monkey Shoulder as the stand-in for a lowland scotch. and then talisker. when presented like that, most of my friends that i've drank scotch with have gravitated towards macallan, since it feels "balanced".

Lowland
AUCHENTOSHAN AMERICAN OAK
ususally about $40
good drinkin. Cool distillery to, just on the outskirts of Glasgah

[bennymac]

oh and - fwiw, i was the exact opposite in my introduction to scotch. the first scotch i ever tasted was some fancy 18 year speyside at a wealthier friend's house, and i was completely underwhelmed. i thought - "what's all the fuss? it's sweet like bourbon but costs 5 times as much". turned me off to the whole genre for probably 3 years, until someone offered me a pour of ardbeg while hottubbing in ouray, colorado - it was a pretty life-changing experience.

when i introduce people to scotch now i do it through small taster flights - a quarter ounce of each major region, plus talisker for good measure. i usually use macallan as my reference highland, ardbeg for an islay, and (since i don't stock much speyside), Monkey Shoulder as the stand-in for a lowland scotch. and then talisker. when presented like that, most of my friends that i've drank scotch with have gravitated towards macallan, since it feels "balanced".

Shit I love talking about this.

What role do you think you being already accustomed to bourbon played in you finding that older scotch underwhelming? I think you bypassed the need to acquire the taste (which is not criticism) - which got you to the point where experiencing the islay scotch was not drinking gasoline but instead tasting heaven. I came to scotch as not much of a hard liquor drinker so my anecdotal experience is admittedly built on that.

And I believe Macallan is a Speyside. And yes to it being balanced (at least their classic 12 and 18 year standards) - which is why I think of speysides when considering what best options there are for intro scotch for new drinkers (except those classic Macallans are now hard to find and over priced)

Auchentoshen (or how ever you spell it) is also a great intro scotch as they are usually well priced and they are one of the few (maybe the only?) single malts to go through 3 distillations (like Irish whiskey does) so that makes it a bit smoother in its younger years. Its my go to Christmas gift for scotch drinkers as it appeals to a wide variety.

[tgapp]

Lowland
AUCHENTOSHAN AMERICAN OAK
ususally about $40
good drinkin. Cool distillery to, just on the outskirts of Glasgah

copy that, also want to add the dalwhenie carribean cask 14 to my list (i know, my spelling is atrocious). now the real question is - can i find that in utah?? ha!

Shit I love talking about this. What role do you think you being already accustomed to bourbon played in you finding that older scotch underwhelming? I think you bypassed the need to acquire the taste (which is not criticism) - which got you to the point where experiencing the islay scotch was not drinking gasoline but instead tasting heaven.

And I believe Macallan is Speyside.

it's highland, actually!



but yeah, re: speysides, i've come around and definitely developed a palate for the softer/finer things, it's just that my first brush with. them was...underwhelming. Ardbeg, on the other hand (the 10yr IIRC - but i was in a hottub and it was very late) was so notable, so unique, so epicurean, that it stood out dramatically. since then i've had far more refined islays and while i still prefer islays to other regions, i like most/all scotch. it's still not my primary liquor (right now i'm on a rum/tiki kick), but i keep a bar of ~5 decent bottles of scotch at any given point. at this point i can say that my #1 favorite distillery is talisker, while my #1 favorite style is ex-sherry, cask-strength islays (hence the Uige and Corry love).


i love all of the recommendations here, i just fucking hate living in utah.

[bennymac]

You just blew my mind... slan-ge-var!

[evasive_MT]

You’re both right. Speyside is a district within the Highlands region.

I think I’m in the minority when it comes to the distillers’ editions. I find them underwhelming and prefer the classic expressions.

[tgapp]

You just blew my mind... slan-ge-var!

Nasdrovia!

Yeah so to an earlier point, talking about geography and terroir is a broad, inaccurate, but still useful way of categorizing scotch. Differences in process like how the malt is kilned, what type of still, how many still runs, what barrel, what water, mash details, where the barrel is warehoused, environmental factors, etc - all of those are what create unique differences in scotch. It just so happens that (very broadly speaking) different geographic areas have different factors which contribute to a flavor profile which can be converted into shorthand (eg, "I like speysides")

[Brownski]

Speyside is a subregion of the Highlands. I’m 90% sure MaCallan could put it on their label if they wanted to but they stick with the Highland designation by choice. Aberlour had Highland on its label for many years but just recently switched to a Speyside designation.

[bennymac]

Nasdrovia!

Yeah so to an earlier point, talking about geography and terroir is a broad, inaccurate, but still useful way of categorizing scotch. Differences in process like how the malt is kilned, what type of still, how many still runs, what barrel, what water, mash details, where the barrel is warehoused, environmental factors, etc - all of those are what create unique differences in scotch. It just so happens that (very broadly speaking) different geographic areas have different factors which contribute to a flavor profile which can be converted into shorthand (eg, "I like speysides")

agree 100%. The massive increase in scotches popularity may end up changing/blurring those regional distinctions as grain is imported, malting is done offsight, and aging takes place in giant warehouses containing products from multiple regions.



Even Macallan can't figure out where they are from!

I wonder why:

[bennymac]

two more:

[tgapp]

Speyside is a subregion of the Highlands. I’m 90% sure MaCallan could put it on their label if they wanted to but they stick with the Highland designation by choice. Aberlour had Highland on its label for many years but just recently switched to a Speyside designation.

this is fascinating - thank you all for this education. i honestly did not know; i always think of aberlour as a speyside. funny that they previously used the highland designation.

appreciate all the maps, etc. i would love to travel to scotland, i'm just afraid i don't have a big enough booze budget.

[Hood26]

All the Malt talk is finally malt drinking.

My wee dram for tonight is Glenlivet 15

I haven't had it in a while and it's still good.

I wish OR stores carried more mini bottles.

[bennymac]

I've got a bottle of Russian whiskey that I picked up in Moscow. It has zero english anywhere on the packaging. Even the google translate on my phone struggles to make any sense of it. I'm going to have some tonight.

I know it's not single malt (and this is the single malt thread) but I thought you guys might find it interesting.

It's not the smoothest of whiskies and if I drink too much of this one it interferes with my sleep - which makes sense because of where it is from.

[tgapp]

I've got a bottle of Russian whiskey that I picked up in Moscow. It has zero english anywhere on the packaging. Even the google translate on my phone struggles to make any sense of it. I'm going to have some tonight.

I know it's not single malt (and this is the single malt thread) but I thought you guys might find it interesting.

It's not the smoothest of whiskies and if I drink too much of this one it interferes with my sleep - which makes sense because of where it is from.

Wifey says that the label indicates it is a single grain Rye whiskey distilled by Rodinov & Sons. The biggest word on the label (полугар/Polugar) is the name of the whisky. From their website:

The word Polugar means half-burned breadwine. Back when alcohol meters had not yet been invented and they needed to determine the strength and, accordingly, the price of a drink, they would use the following test - boil and burn two portions of the drink and, after burning, one portion of water should be left. In other words, the drink was half burned off, which is why it got the name "Polugar" (from the Russian for "half-burned"). When alcohol meters were invented and they measured the strength of Polugar, it appeared to be 38,5%.

http://www.rusvin.ru/eng/our_brands/583/

http://www.rusvin.ru/eng/polugarinfo.php

pretty cool shit, i love 100% rye whiskies.

[Bobcat Sig]

I love scotch; mainly 12 years Highlands - Balvenie, Macallan, etc. The Glenmorangie La Santa is my new favorite. Aberlour and Glenrothes are also fantastic.

With the weather and the day at work, there's a non-zero chance a few fingers of scotch are taken down this evening.

[bennymac]

Wifey says that the label indicates it is a single grain Rye whiskey distilled by Rodinov & Sons. The biggest word on the label (полугар/Polugar) is the name of the whisky. From their website:

The word Polugar means half-burned breadwine. Back when alcohol meters had not yet been invented and they needed to determine the strength and, accordingly, the price of a drink, they would use the following test - boil and burn two portions of the drink and, after burning, one portion of water should be left. In other words, the drink was half burned off, which is why it got the name "Polugar" (from the Russian for "half-burned"). When alcohol meters were invented and they measured the strength of Polugar, it appeared to be 38,5%.

http://www.rusvin.ru/eng/our_brands/583/

http://www.rusvin.ru/eng/polugarinfo.php

pretty cool shit, i love 100% rye whiskies.

wow amazing! I’m not sure why I never went down this rabbit hole before but thank you! It does taste very “bready”. Please thank your wife as well for her assistance! My glass is raised in a toast to you both.

[evasive_MT]

All the Malt talk is finally malt drinking.

My wee dram for tonight is Glenlivet 15

I haven't had it in a while and it's still good.

I wish OR stores carried more mini bottles.

I’ve posted this somewhere, but my ex-wife was (still is) English. There is a liquor store in St Ives (Cambridgeshire, not Cornwall) not too far from her childhood village. They had an unbelievable selection of mini bottles, including from the independents: Signatory, Connoisseurs Choice, Gordon & MacPhail, etc. Their miniature selection took up more wall space than the scotch selection in my local shop. For a few £ you could line up a great tasting for an evening. I miss that.

Since her family vacationed in Scotland several times a year, it was easy and accessible to visit with her. I didn’t make it to as many distilleries as I’d have liked, since we were young and didn’t have a ton of money. I haven’t made it to Islay yet, but when it happens we’ll do it right.

[Woodsy]

One of my favourite scotch regions is Japan.