Single Malt

[MisterD]

No, not to a point.

Yes to a point. You could argue about whether Penfolds Grange or Stoneyridge Larose was the better wine, both are demonstrably better than any other bottle of red you cared to grab from your local Glengarry.

I think that Laphroiag tastes like sheep piss watered down with sea water and think Macallan is the nectar of the gods.

It doesn't mean that either of these is better than the other it just means my taste is different than yours.

Well they're both regulars in my cupboard, and I'll usually have two or three single malts on the go at any one time (usually an Islay, a Speyside and maybe a different wood finish job) none of which alters the fact that Glenfiddich is the easily-accessible single malt for beginners.

[ellipsis]

...my heritage is Hebridean and one of the first born that didn't use gaelic as his first language... uisge beatha wasn't so much an acquired taste, more a fact of life...but I ended up choosing rum as my choice of poison...my last gaelic speaking cousin in this country left the planet only recently, but I remember him telling me once that Ardhbeg wouldn't get a look in as a preferred dram in our Islands, like someone mentioned earlier in this thread, 'made with dirt in it'...yet I liked it...pure palate and preference...I had the pleasure of attending a kiwi mate's wedding in the Trossachs in the early '80s...his betrothed family were bordering on 'rich'. Upon arrival at a hotel that had been hired for the guests, all rooms paid for, we were asked to meet in the bar for cigars and a dram...we were expected to drink from the very top shelf, and whatever we drank was on the bride's family's tab...and we were encouraged to drink the best. I dont remember the name of the ancient whisky that an acquaintance from Aberdeen and I were given, but it was worth one hundred and five pounds a nip...I told Dougey, a teacher and pisshead that it would be wasted on me, his reply, ' gae it doon yer, the bottles coming back this way'...

[slofox]

No, not to a point.
I think that Laphroiag tastes like sheep piss watered down with sea water and think Macallan is the nectar of the gods.

It doesn't mean that either of these is better than the other it just means my taste is different than yours.

I spent months listening to CEO's of the different distillery's wank on about how there whisky was better than the rest.
The funny thing was when we used to do blind tasting only the locals were likely to get it right no one else had a clue what they were drinking.
Mind you some one said the sherry was Macallan (they only use used sherry casks).

I like most single malt styles - but on different occasions. In the middle of winter, with a stinking head cold, I might opt for Laphroaig Quarter Cask. On a balmy summer's evening I might go for the Macallan Fine Oak. It just depends on the mood and the surroundings. Having said that, there is the odd example that, for whatever reason, I just plain don't like much. Knockando being one and Glengoyne another - at least those expressions of each that I have tasted.

Exactly the same with wine. And with beer too come to that. Because I have been directly involved in selling all of the above products for the past seven years, I have had to maintain an unbiassed opinion of what is "good" and what is "bad". I could not afford to stock only things that I liked. I had to develop a "commercial" palate to cater for the huge range of preferences that I would encounter in my daily work life. So even though I choose never to drink Sauvignon Blanc for example, I had to know the difference between a good and bad example of that variety. And so with all other products as well.

Like the man says, it's a matter of taste.

[BoristheBiter]

Yes to a point. You could argue about whether Penfolds Grange or Stoneyridge Larose was the better wine, both are demonstrably better than any other bottle of red you cared to grab from your local Glengarry.



Well they're both regulars in my cupboard, and I'll usually have two or three single malts on the go at any one time (usually an Islay, a Speyside and maybe a different wood finish job) none of which alters the fact that Glenfiddich is the easily-accessible single malt for beginners.

But what makes a better whisky? Is it the fact that more people drink it? or that it says so in a book?
my old man has a 25y Laphroig but i think the standard 3y Glenfiddich is better. It doesn't make either better it just makes my tastes different.

Same with your wine I would thank you more for a bottle of Pelorus than Moet. In fact i would sell 2:1 in the restaurant and they were both priced the same.

I get your point on beginners but then a beginner is just someone that hasn't tasted a lot.

[Berries]

One of the two advantages* that Dunedin has due to its Scottish heritage is the selection of whiskies you can get in the shops. One particular store, Meenans, has an excellent selection and I have been methodically working through some of the Connoisseurs Choice range from Gordon and McPhail, amongst others. Worth a Google if you like your whisky, their website even uses the word 'expression' so they know what they are on about.

*Obviously this has to be weighed up against the disadvantages that the same heritage brings, like bagpipes, tartan, ginger hair, bagpipes, burglary and bagpipes. And bagpipes.

[Brian d marge]

I make the best whiskey ( spelt with an "E" because Im British and what we say goes. )

so there

Stephen

[Geeen]

Ok, for all you Single Malt drinkers, I have some Laphroig Quarter cask (about 1/2 bottle) and some Bowmore 12yo (about 3/4 bottle) free to a good home. All you have to do is pick it up. Have come to the conclusion I no longer have any desire to drink alcohol. PM me if you want it, I would rather it went to someone who will enjoy it rather than down the sink.

[fuknK1W1]

have i mentioned that you shouldn't listen to southerners

That depends entirely on which side of the equator you are on...Downunder southerners have all the cred...but not on t'other side.
You read this on the net so it must be true

Back to the subject I beleive Wilsons was a single malt as there wasn't really anything else to blend it with...I was once involved in a promotion which included; Islay, Talisker, Lagavulin. & Dalwhinnie...can't remeber what else.
To argue which is the best is purely subjective they were all good in their own way a lot of variables in the mix peat or no peat highland or lowland etc...as long as you now what you like is all that matters...these days I drink SFA spirits & the world is a better place for that
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[scumdog]

Ok, for all you Single Malt drinkers, I have some Laphroig Quarter cask (about 1/2 bottle) and some Bowmore 12yo (about 3/4 bottle) free to a good home. All you have to do is pick it up. Have come to the conclusion I no longer have any desire to drink alcohol. PM me if you want it, I would rather it went to someone who will enjoy it rather than down the sink.

Cue drooling noise....

PM sent.

[Brian d marge]

g a program about whisk(e)y ...you should see how much those angels drink ( the angels share)


Stephen

[vifferman]

This thread could be the ruin of me.
I'd never tasted single malts until a few years ago when I hosted a (very annoying) guy from Scotland, who gave me a bottle of Highland Park (possibly the only decent thing he's ever done in his whole entire life), and showed me how to appreciate it. Since then, I've bought many different single malts (Cragganmore, Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Knockando, The Balvenie, The Glenlivet, and some others I can't remember. Some were tasty, but I kept coming back to Highland Park, as it suited me best. Then, last week I went to Cairns, and thought I'd better get some duty-free goods on the way in and out. I looked at the single malts, and recalled people on here mentioning Laphroaig and Talisker, neither of which I'd tasted. So.... I went "eeny-meeny..." and picked the Talisker.
Last night, I tasted it.


OMFG!!

If it wasn't a work night, I might've drunk most of the bottle, instead of limiting myself to two modest drams. Worryingly, it was all I could think about before I went to sleep...

Coincidentally, last night Glengarry Ponsonby had a Scotch/Irish whisky tasting last night, which I wanted to check out, but couldn't because I was on my bike. Told the vifferbabe, and she said, "You should've gone - you could have left your bike at work and phoned me to pick you up!"
D'Oh!!
It sounds like a pretty good deal: you pay $10, taste whatever takes your fancy, then if you decide to buy something, they'll take $10 off your purchase price. Must check out the next one (and drink / tip out some of the bottles in the booze cupboard, as it's rather full, especially of half-finished single malts, and weird rums, which I don't like - tastes like Uhu glue, courtesy of the ketones in it).

[Naki Rat]

Talisker is my personal favourite. Just the right balance of peat/smokeyness and the 10 year old is reasonably priced (duty free). Another one worth its price is Smokehead. We were introduced to it by a bar manager in Perth (the one south of Edinburgh) and were suitably impressed. Think 42 Degrees of the whisky world

We did a road trip up into the Scottish highlands a year ago and did a tour of the Delwhinnie distillery on our travels. Highest altitude distillery in Scotland, high water quality, peat bogs, etc. Nice drop with light and slightly sweet 'honey' tones...

The real turn-up of our trip though was Harviestoun Brewery in the SW of Scotland. They do a porter named 'Old Engine Oil' which they also then age in 12, 16 or 18 year old Highland Park Whisky barrels. The result is 'Ola Dubh' Available online from The Beer Cellar but it's not cheap . Harviestoun's Schiehallion lager is also worth a taste!

On our way to the UK we had a 6:30am check-in at Singapore airport. After check-in and a curry breakfast we're off to the whisky shop
They were out of stock of Talisker so we had to do a tasting to find a suitable substitute under the recommendations of the salesman using a chart similar to the one below. It took 6 or 8 samples to settle on a Glenlivet Master Distiller's Reserve. 'Christmas cake' flavours but only available duty free.... Also worth noting that like a good red wine this whisky benefits from breathing so expect it to give its best a day or two after opening the bottle. And the flight from Singapore to Heathrow - relaxed

[vifferman]

Interesting (and useful) chart (now saved to my laptop ).

I thought I had a pretty sensitive palate (inherited from my mother, who was both a super-taster and had a very keen sense of smell), but I wouldn't have picked that Highland Park and Talisker would be as close as they are.
My eldest son shares my love for good whiskies, but he prefers rums, which is tricky as his favourite ones aren't readily available in NZ stores or duty free.

[slofox]

Highland Park is indeed one of the very bestest in my book.