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Is ice a no-no?
Drink it however you like and don't let the bores tell you otherwise.
I am sliding down the slippery and somewhat expensive slope of trying more and more mature whiskies. Nothing like a good full-bodied 16 year-old.
I would love to try a Port Ellen one day......
Bruichladdich was my drink of choice over xmas and new year very tasty stuff indeed ! One of the few from that neck i can enjoy.
Sitting on a bottle of hokonui moonshine whisky traditionally brewed by the mcraes when they settled in new zealand - waiting for a special occasion for that one - was supposed to be opened at my graduation but i was drunk beyond belief before i got home from grad to try it !
Perhaps if/when my first born comes along ! - its traveled a long long way.
I'm not at all keen on Jura but think that Highland Park is one of the very best single malts - sweet and rich with just a hint of peat.
HP is incredible, in that they can consistently produce it year in, year out. The 12yo is good, but the 18 is superlative. There's a 15 and a 16 too if you can find them (the 16 is a duty free exclusive, IIRC). I actually think the 18 is better than the 25.
It's not particularly cheap, but there's vertical gift pack you can get with, if memory serves, a bottle of 12, 15, 18, 25, 30 in. Great fun to compare and contrast as it gets older. There's a fine evening's entertainment, right there.
I've headed West with my whisky, started on Scotch, moved to Irish which I generally preferred and am now dabbling with Bourbons - [url= http://woodfordreserve.com/ ]Woodford Reserve[/url] being the currently open bottle. It is very, very smooth.
am now dabbling with Bourbons
Maker's Mark.
You're welcome.
Already on the to-do list! A list mainly chosen by how much I like the look of the bottle though to be fair.
bigdugsbaws - Member
Laphroaig tastes awesome with Coke in it :O
😯
Currently have a bottle of Jura Prophecy and Jura Duirach's Own on the go.
The Prophecy is a pretty peaty drink, the Duirach's Own is a 16yr old and very different. Quite fruity and mellow for a Jura.
Best i've ever tasted? Ardbeg Lord of the Isles at £12.50 a dram or £400 a bottle, absolutely stunning and now i know the meaning of 'smooth'... 8)
I once helped a mate finish off a Lord of the Isles bottle that was in danger of oxidising.
Good mates to have.
Definitely doomed. Blended is only good with mixers now.
Just remember that Uisge is not for drinking alone, but for sharing with friends...
[email in my profile]
Whisky is, on the whole, awesome and a drink to be savored and enjoyed.
Laphroig however, tastes like dead people. FACT
I've just finished a caol ila and it's really good, have a ledaig on the go at the moment and quite enjoying it, not too seaweedy I reckon
I also have a bottle of Ardbeg nearly there that I am saving for special occasions
Tesco do an own brand single malt Islay and I reckon it's bunnahabain (or was, I think it may have come from a different distiller with the same label now)
Re adding water, the chap at the distillery tour I visited in Scotland recommended adding quite literally a couple of drops of water to whiskey - tip of finger or from a pipette amount - as it helped release the oils trapped in the whiskey from the cask. I'm no expert but you could see swirls of oil on the surface of the whiskey afterwards. They tasted damm good too 🙂
the chap at the distillery tour I visited in Scotland recommended adding quite literally a couple of drops of water to whiskey - tip of finger or from a pipette amount - as it helped release the oils trapped in the whiskey from the cask.
Yes, I've been told this before but it confuses me. Whisky is 1% weird stuff in a solution of 59% H2O and 40% Ethanol. I cant see how making it 61% H2O "releases" anything. Any Chemists in the house?
Has to be bollox that really. Some water will make a difference [not just releasing things, also trapping things] but a couple of drops?Re adding water, the chap at the distillery tour I visited in Scotland recommended adding quite literally a couple of drops of water to whiskey - tip of finger or from a pipette amount - as it helped release the oils trapped in the whiskey from the cask. I'm no expert but you could see swirls of oil on the surface of the whiskey afterwards. They tasted damm good too
ETA I'm a chemist. The one drop totally changing the character of a dram seems like wishful thinking - as you say, what is the total change of concentration, would be something like 0.01%
Nothing to add except I have just finished a liberal measure of Bowmore Cask strength 🙂
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)
Just gimmie the name of the prick that gave you Jura Superstition to drink, I'll sort 'em out for ya 😉
15 years ago i worked for United Distillers in Elgin. Effectively in quality control (checking various stages of the processes) things like checking the phenols level in the Islays to make sure they would hold the smokiness but still get into the US market (strict upper limit on the potential carcinogen).
Anyhoo there was a rather extensive sample room, with everything from 1 week old raw spirit (surprisingly sweet some of them) to 30-40 year old bruisers. When i had only 1 month left i walked in every day and my route home was surprisingly non-linear but bloody hell some of that stuff was very tasty.
Save cheap crap for post ride baths etc. Pint mug, half inch Vimto or Ribena, at least the same of cheap whisky . Top up with boiling water.
I cant see how making it 61% H2O "releases" anything. Any Chemists in the house?
A little in some water 40% doesn't really do much, but a little more in cask-strength reduces the taste of the ethanol itself, opening it up a bit.
On the bourbon, I had a fantastic bottle of Blanton's Special Reserve a few years ago. It was a duty free bottle, and I've never seen it over here. Had a round-ish bottle and the top of the stopper had a little racehorse on it. Lovely stuff.
I was given a bottle of 16yo scapa at xmas, anyone know if it's any good?
I'm a complete novice at whisky, unlike my dad who has 100's of odd bottles of stuff from when he goes salmon fishing. I'm more used to jameson, powers, blackbush and glenmorangie.
Any pointers?
Crikey, after reading all your responses its clear I am going to be drinking more and more "posh" stuff.. Cheers!
Some of the most regarded whiskys are blends. I'd imagine it takes a lot more skill and knowledge to create a successful blend. I used to dismiss blends but have sampled a few and have been pleasantly surprised. Got a bottle of monkey shoulder for Xmas, it's very drinkable 🙂
Some of the most regarded whiskys are blends.
Even single malts are blends from various different casks, in order to get a consistent taste.
Best whisky I've ever had was from a bottle given to my mum's uncle as a thank you gift. It was casked from the first distillation after a new manager started at the distillery and bottled when he retired.
Clynelish it has to be 🙂