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I've decided that it's time to broaden my horizons and start trying more whiskies but tbh there's a lot of choice. I've only tried a couple, highland park and laphroaig, I quite liked the highland park but I'm not a fan of the peatiness of the laphroaig. Can anyone recommend me a decent whisky (around the £15 to £20 mark) thats similar to highland park?
Cheers
Glenlivet 15 year old - nom,
£15-20 is much cheapness. £25 OK?
Glenmorangie is hard to dislike and a not disimilar similar style to HP, more sherry finish I reckon. Macallan's are very easy to like too, having a very distinct sweet sherry finish.
Laphroaig is a bit mental on the peat, in a good way though not quite my cuppa tea. There are calmer peaty islanders: Caol Isla for example.
Hope this helps too: [url= http://www.maltmadness.com/ ]Malt Madness[/url]
I like HP very much and have no time for Laphroaig and the other medicinal Islays.
You can get Co-op own label singlemalt for £20, and very nice it is too.
You can often find The Balvenie for just over £20, you'll like that if you like HP.
I like Bruichladdich, which is (generally) a very lightly peated Islay. But not cheap.
All I've got at the moment is Jura, bought for me (wouldn't buy it normally), it's ok, you might like it, worth trying is it can often be found for less than £20.
Ardbeg 10 is my all time fave for under £30 but there are lots of other milder peaties - try any of the Bruachladdichs.
Most of the Highland whiskies are 'easier' but Glenmorangie still has a wee bit of complexity to it and there are a few to choose from.
Quite often deals on Jura which has the seasidiness of the Islay malts with out being too peaty.
Join a club there'll be plenty of experts to advise you tasting sessions and deals to be had.
I'd take that chart with a pinch of salt, Highland Park isn't particularly smoky and Jura isn't particularly delicate (it's a bit rough, I'm drinking it right now).
Oban, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Caol Ila, Springbank (and various others but that's a start). I don't think any of them are in your price bracket but there's always something on special offer somewhere.
You might like Black Grouse if you're not a whisky snob yet. 🙂
PS - flavour map is bonkers.
Caol Isla.
Thread closed as far as I'm concerned but they are all good - just different.
No help to the thread but interesting that despite my Scots roots Laphroaig is the only malt I actually like as opposed to apparent opinion here so far.
That chart that the militant one posted gives me 3 others to have a punt at I reckon though...
slainte 💡 rob
If your in Scotland, my mate swears by the Scottish Whisky Society in Edinburgh, lots of tastings and special reserves.
£15-20 is much cheapness. £25 OK?
Yeah £25 is fine mate.
I've heard good things about Macallan and Glenlivet although I might try and get my hands on a bottle of Glenmorangie for the weekend.
Just out of interest how do you guys find blends match up to single malts?
Quite often deals on Jura which has the seasidiness of the Islay malts with out being too peaty.
Yeah I've been tempted in the past to pick up a bottle of Jura because it looked ridiculously cheap but I was put off when a friend told me it was similar to laphroaig, is this true?
Seems the Co-op one might be Dalmore
[url= http://www.whiskymag.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13717 ]some other forum[/url]
If ever a drink was over hyped, it's Scotch. Any I've ever tried has always tasted like deisel
Ok, not rough (Jura) but not particularly delicate either, kinda (takes a sip) disappointing.
If by that you mean tastes like an ashtray, I'm with you. Worst drink I ever tasted!buzz-lightyear - MemberLaphroaig is a bit mental on the peat,
It's not the smoke per se. I don't like bowmores for the same reason, a weird aftertaste of cardboard! I really like the ardbegs and the lagsavhuilinnnnn which are smoky as hell on hot day.
Jura 10 is a bit single - there's just not alot to it IMO - no complexity at all. It's not at all like Laphroig.
Find an Aldi and have a go at their Glen Marnoch as I believe it's a rebadged something better - it fits your budget and I bought a few bottles last year and wusnae dissappointed
>If ever a drink was over hyped, it's Scotch. Any I've ever tried has always tasted like deisel<
You've got a taste bud issue pal - see a doc.
Another vote for Caol Isla here (my prefered drinking in the house Whisky), or Bunnahabhain (my prefered drinking in the pub tipple).
Its wrong to think of Jura as a single drink (indeed the same applies to most of the distilleries). Their "Superstition" seems to be popular with people who don't normally like Jura. I've only tried it once and wasn't that impressed, but by that point I was quite p***ed and so will need to repeat the exercise for fairness!
blended malt can be IMHO as good as, or in many cases better than single malt; I'd rather drink an 8yr old sheep dip than whichever vintage of Ardbeg is in my cupboard that tastes of TCP. Blends, mixed with grain whisky can actually be quite palletable and easier drinking - but can also be pretty foul.Just out of interest how do you guys find blends match up to single malts?
stavromuller - Member
If ever a drink was over hyped, it's Scotch. Any I've ever tried has always tasted like deisel
When you grow up a bit more you might find your taste buds mature. I found the same with Guiness, black olives and curries. I started by drinking Bells and Teachers in my late teens/early twenties, around thirty years ago, then got on to Glenmorangie. Didn't really know anything about single malts then, they were never advertised. I discovered them by reading about single malts, as there was no hype. Laphroig is one of my oldest favourites, but I love Highland Park, Caol Ila, a 1991 Signatory Vintage bottle of which is trying to entice me to pour a dram at the moment, and I have a real fondness for proper Kentucky Bourbon too. Frankly, if it's a single malt I'll drink it, but I'll avoid blends no matter how posh the name is.
ketchup - Member
I've decided that it's time to broaden my horizons and start trying more whiskies but tbh there's a lot of choice. I've only tried a couple, highland park and laphroaig, I quite liked the highland park but I'm not a fan of the peatiness of the laphroaig. Can anyone recommend me a decent whisky (around the £15 to £20 mark) thats similar to highland park?
All of them 😀 Other than that pish with too many letters that Darcey etc drink. I like Ardbeg as my favourite. I really like HP as well, try Bowmore; it is cheap and a wee bit less peaty and lighter than HP.
I'm obviously in the minority then, i'm not a big whisky drinker, or in any way knowledgable about the subjuct, but i love all the Islay whiskies and the Jura range. In fact i rather suspect MsD has bought me a bottle of Jura Prophecy (£50) for Christmas 🙂
In fact, the nicest thing i've ever drank has been a dram of Ardbeg Lord of the Isles at £12.50 per dram/£400 per bottle - now i know the meaning of smooth!
Really don't like the Speyside or Highland ones i've tried, not enough peat for me.
Old Pulteney is a current favourite of mine. It tastes like the sea, but without the jonnies and shite in it. It's the northern most distillery on the mainland and has a complex taste, a bit sweet, and is nowt like laphroig.
8yr old sheep dip
Is a very nice blend, but I'm not sure I'd rate it above many of the single malts I've tried. Glenfiddich and Glenlivet being the obvious exceptions...
As you weren't so keen on the 'raw power' of the Laphroag, but quite liked HP, I'd be tempted to try Bowmore, or maybe if you can find it Ben Riach (This is a speyside, but has a bit more 'umph' than your typical insipid speyside malt such as Glenfiddich)
If you're in the North of England Booths have a fair few Single Malts on sale for around the £20 mark.
This is currently on offer at Sainsbury's down from £20 > £15...I doubt you'll find a better dram for the price. Very drinkable, smells a bit of pear drops and tastes of oranges.
Won a gold medal at the International Spirits Challenge (blind tasting) and won a Whisky of the Year award in Jim Murray's 'Bible'.
.I doubt you'll find a better dram for the price. Very drinkable, smells a bit of pear drops and tastes of oranges.
[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl_acetate ]Ethyl Acetate[/url] 😉
Thanks, got to go to Sainsbury's later, will grab a bottle of that I think.
Yeah I've been tempted in the past to pick up a bottle of Jura because it looked ridiculously cheap but I was put off when a friend told me it was similar to laphroaig, is this true?
It'd be hard to find two whiskies less alike. If you like HP, you'll like Jura.
I like Highland Park and am not a big fan of the over peatiness (IMHO) of Laphroaig. I love Quinta Ruba which is a Glenmorangie finished in port wood casks. Normally £30+ but can sometimes be found in supermarkets for around £25. very smooth with a chocolatey finish. On a more easily available note - Aberlour has a nice soft sherry finish a bit like an older Macallan. 10yo around £25, 12 yo a bit more
Also, if it's trying new stuff, you might want to invest in this
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If you like Highland Park, you'll prob like: Glenmorangee, Macallan, Glenkinchie, Arbelour and Jura.
Dont pay any attention to that whiskey map. It wont tell you which ones are peaty (which i also hate!).
BTW, if you're ever in an airpot, always pop to the duty free whiskey section for a free tasting session and some recommendations!
http://www.****/femail/article-2064227/Supermarket-sell-40-year-old-whisky-time--bargain-just-49-99.html
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Still give me headache though 🙂
double post
HP would also be one of my faves along with Balvenie, Glenfiddich and Glengoyne
Asda are doing The Balvenie Double Wood for £23.97, get that.
Not sure what happened to the image...lets try again.Rusty Shackleford - MemberThis is currently on offer at Sainsbury's down from £20 > £15...I doubt you'll find a better dram for the price. Very drinkable, smells a bit of pear drops and tastes of oranges.
Won a gold medal at the International Spirits Challenge (blind tasting) and won a Whisky of the Year award in Jim Murray's 'Bible'.
All the Hypermarche's are doing deals it seems. I popped into my local Co-op to get some milk and walking back through the Spirits section reveiled a whole host of Single Malts for under £25.00, so I bought three bottles of 15year old Glenlivet..
Phnarr phnarr
And I love Laproaig me, the older the better, but the 10yr olds good enough.
I once went on a West Coast sailing trip with an old old buddy of mine, we ended up on Aaran in a storm (hooo hum) and got horribly drunk from a couple of bottles of this:
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Asda are doing The Balvenie Double Wood for £23.97, get that.
seconded, that'll be my christmas treat to me and short of quinta ruban for £25, that's the OP's question answered
- it's pretty much the marmite of whiskies. If you like whisky, you have to try it because EVERYONE has to have an opinion on it.Laphroaig is the only malt I actually like as opposed to apparent opinion here so far.
Any I've ever tried has always tasted like deisel
Never having tasted deisel (or diesel for that matter), I'm not qualified to comment. If you have, good on you, I bet your mates were impressed
Old Pulteney is a current favourite of mine. It tastes like the sea, but without the jonnies and shite in it. It's the northern most distillery on the mainland and has a complex taste, a bit sweet, and is nowt like laphroig.
Agree... if you like HP then the Old Pulteney is a must to try. For more of a peppery hit try Talisker.
For smooth get a Dalwhinnie... it's next to Laggan so think of trails as you enjoy 
I think you would like Dalwhinnie 15yo, Glenmorangie 10yo and give Bowmore 12yo a try if you want to try a more accessible Islay than Laphroig.
Dalwhinnie is a cut above and £25 would be a good price to pick that up for, the other two I have recently got for £20.
Never tasted Diesel either, at a guess it probably wouldn't sit in the light and delicate section of the flavour map!
Currenlly I'm liking Caol Ila.
I've not found a malt I've not enjoyed though and there are some great bargains out there at the moment. Jura Superstition for £20 in Tesco, Ardmore for £22 in Morrisons
perhaps this will be an unpopular choice considering the amount of single malts of show here, but if you like the idea of the Islay Whiskys but dislike the big iodine taste, then try out some black bottle, a blend from 7 of the Islay distilleries, all of the character with none of the medicinal after taste. And a damn fine dram, that stands up with the single malts.
[url= http://www.blackbottle.com/home ]Black Bottle[/url]
oh aye, you should be able to buy it for around £15
I'll have a double (post that is) 😆


