I never liked whisky much, but drank jameson's as a tribute to my late grandfather. Anyway I discovered laphroaig and got hooked.
Now the problem is I was given two bottle of quarter cask recently and I find that I don't like the normal stuff anymore...
Is there a way back or am I forever doomed to insiting on drinking the "posh" stuff..
same here, doomed...
Problem is that a) Mrs just bought me a bottle of the cheap stuff, its going straight back
b) tesco have quarter cask for 25.79!!!!!
The secret is, and it's an enjoyable secret, try all the cheap "premium" blends. I love Ardbeg, but only when it's on offer at Morrisons. Purely by chance (and over the course of a few months) I discovered that Whyte & MacKay Special is a worthy replacement at half the price.
Is there a way back or am I forever doomed to insiting on drinking the "posh" stuff..
Personally, good whisky is something that's well worth spending the money on so I only drink the "posh" stuff. Given the amount of specials supermarkets constantly have, you'll always get a good malt for not much more than £20 which isn't really extravagant.
I had that w&M special over xmas. V tolerable.
Another cask strength covert here
Abelour A'bundah being my tipple of choice for a while now...
Some of the blends are OK I think - I'm quite selective myself though as I just like whisky, I don't love it (Beer and wine are a different story - I'd happily drink tesco's own bitter if it was all that was on offer).
A nice consequence of this is that it's easy for me to build up a collection of malts. Somewhat harder to build up a decent red wine selection.
I'm very partial to a nice malt myself too. Islay being my preference and I've had some silly expensive ones in the past.
But I'm not above sipping a little Bells with my coffee from time to time. Much easier on the pocket.
Try adding a drop (literally) of water, and stand well back.
If you like LP, you'll like Ardbeg.
Also, treat yourself to a proper Glencairn glass.
Here be genies. http://www.whiskylive.com/england/39/london-2012
RAD! I am actually considering going to a Whisky Show.
Are you cask-strength drinkers drinking it at cask strength or pouring a dram watering it down little by little until you get it how you like it?
I always thought it was a bit odd to do that, rather than buying the normal strength malts, since the normal-strength ones would have been brought to optimum drinkability by an experienced whisky blender or taster with a far more cultivated nose and palate than any mere pleb who dabbles with a dram.
Having said that there is some lovely cask-strength stuff out there. Aberlour A'buna is delicious. Quite often on offer in Waitrose, as well which makes it well worth purchasing.
Z-11 - very much with you on the A'Bunadh. Although my 'livet 15 and Jura Superstition are going nicely as well. The Jura was £15 in Morrisons over Christmas!
Has anyone ever tried Jamesons 12 Year Old Special Reserve?
>Is there a way back or am I forever doomed<
Probably - the only thing Laphroaig is good for is soaking medicinal field bandages. Try a decent Isla like Caol Isla for example...
Is there a way back or am I forever doomed to insiting on drinking the "posh" stuff..
Just like wine, food and coffee, more expensive stuff usually costs more for a reason.
I always thought it was a bit odd to do that, rather than buying the normal strength malts, since the normal-strength ones would have been brought to optimum drinkability by an experienced whisky blender or taster with a far more cultivated nose and palate than any mere pleb who dabbles with a dram.
As talented as a distiller may be, it's a bit of a fluke if the 'optimum' taste for every whisky is bang on 40%.
Oh sh1t - the all important spelling: Islay, Ila
the only thing Laphroaig is good for is soaking medicinal field bandages
I prefer drinking it, actually.
bravo! 
You'll need this
I remember a bottle of 25 year old cask strength Macallan I had last year.
Happy days. Unfortunately it wasn't in the £20-30 bracket.
Worth the money once in a while though.
macallan is (imho) over rated until you hit 18+ yo. A mate decided t was time to educate me in the ways of whisky and we had a night of £9 nips, including yon macallan.
I always thought it was a bit odd to do that, rather than buying the normal strength malts,
When you add water, the flavours separate (I'll spare you the science lesson) and some are released as vapour. It's a different tasting sensation when you move flavours from mouth to nose - arguably, that's where most of your tasting ability comes from anyway.
It's a bit like saying, "I don't know why you'd want to reheat pre-cooked food, when it's already been cooked," perhaps.
As talented as a distiller may be, it's a bit of a fluke if the 'optimum' taste for every whisky is bang on 40%.
It's not a fluke, it's watered down intentionally.
I agree with adding water though, always put a wee drop in any whisky. It does bring out the flavour I reckon.
always put a wee drop in any whisky.
I'd always do it once. Whether I'd do it again depends on the whisky. Some (like the LP cask) explode with flavour, but with some it just kills them. Jura, for example, is utterly flattened if you put water anywhere near it.
IMHO, IME, etc etc.
I was doomed when I tried some 1988 Port Ellen. i still have a tiny dribble left in the bottle for when my son gets into the England cricket team, or when The Witch dies, whichever comes first.
I would always add a tiny splash of water to any whisky, to release the flavours and aromas.
I tend to get whisky as a Christmas present, so I'm not always in control of what ends up in my drinks cupboard. A couple of cask-strength bottles I've been given, I never really found the sweet spot in terms of an optimum flavour/strength. And they were too fiery and spirited to drink at the strength they came at, whereas most malts at 40% are drinkable pretty much as they are. Sometimes you want to just drink whisky, not dick about with it trying to render it drinkable.
Always thought it was a bit like buying part-baked baguettes or something. Why pay more money for an arguably less finished product, when you could have bought the standard-issue malt and had a highly-skilled connoisseur do the work for you?
+1 on Cougar's comment - I'll try it with a dram, but normally end up keeping it neat, hairs on your chest etc.
Ardbeg Uigedail is wonderful, but the price has crept up constantly since I first got a bottle in about 2005, whereas the A'bundah is still a bargain when waitrose do an offer.
I think 40% is more to do with excise duty? If you notice a lot of standard Vodka, Gin etc are sold at 40%. Not ssure but do think it's something to do with it. It also means that the distillery get a calculable volume of saleable product for a slightly variable source volume.
but with some it just kills them. Jura, for example, is utterly flattened if you put water anywhere near it.
Well yeah, Jura tastes like pop though. 
I always put a drop in, even if it's a tiny one.
Some (like the LP cask) explode with flavour, but with some it just kills them. Jura, for example, is utterly flattened if you put water anywhere near it.
+1. The key is to trust your tastebuds. I much prefer Talisker with a little water, but I've had some Speyside malts taste very weak unless drunk neat.
As for the OP, whilst I appreciate the difference in quality when you go upmarket, I'm still perfectly happy with standard single malts. Sainsbury's do an Islay single malt for less than £20 which is very agreeable...
I'm a whisky novice. Drank a couple of different sorts on my trip to Fife at the weekend. I'm sure it was the Glenmorangie which made me lose my voice...
Is ice a no-no?
It's not a fluke, it's watered down intentionally.
I am aware of this. However, I think it's got more to do with duty than taste, hence why I tend to buy cask strength and work it out for myself...
Is ice a no-no?
Many would say so, and in fact advocate the opposite - a warm glass to enhance the aroma. However, my scottish friend swears by a small ice cube in hers - says the flavour changes as it melts.
As a drinker of Jura whisky with very limited experiences, what would the experts suggest I try next?
I have so far I've tried, in order of preference:
Jura 16 YO
Jura 10 YO
laphroaig quarter cask with a tiny bit of water
Jura Superstition
laphroaig quarter, neat (Far to smokey for my liking)
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