[Closed] What Whisky?

Stronachie isn't whiskey.

What he said.

Do you mean Whisky or Whiskey?

Yamazaki 12.

Bit over budget, mind you.

I'm not familiar with Stronachie, what else does he like?

Talking about whisky I guess I need to top up mine as I am running out ...

The Famous Grouse Scotch Whisky £15 per litre so that's me sorted for Xmas.

Never tried them before but if Prince Philip likes it I shall give it a try. 😆

Cougar - not sure, I just asked his wife to tell me his current favourite.

Dalwhinnie, Squin, can't go wrong with a Dalwhinnie. (or Old Pulteney, which is pretty much 'mid taste' also)

Lots of lovely stuff from Islay if he likes peaty/smoky flavours.

I'm lucky, I've never ever tasted a whisky (or a whiskey) I didn't like.

Plenty of offers on Whiskey at Waitrose, head over there for 10-15-20 yr singles.

I'm loving Monkey Shoulder at the minute.

Second Monkey Shoulder, at the moment I'm into Bushmills, very drinkable!

Want something different - Paul John Brilliance - Indian single malt which is smokey as hell but truly nice.

Compass Box - Spice Tree. Bloody lovely blend and will suprise a single malt snob with just how good it is.

Talasker Storm for a solid all rounder.

Aberlour 12 is a current favourite of mine. A good, well rounded "fruit cakey" whisky. If you've Prime it's a bargain £23.49 at the moment.

esselgruntfuttock - Member
Dalwhinnie, Squin, can't go wrong with a Dalwhinnie. (or Old Pulteney, which is pretty much 'mid taste' also)

Ya, I have Dalwhinnie and Old Pulteney but only little left. Yes, both good.

Buushmills sherry cask

Jura Origin 10yr. Light/honey . £25-30

Set your budget and [url= https://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/current-auction ]off you go[/url]
Scapa 12 yo is good collectable\drinkable. Distillery was mothballed around 2000 but a couple of guys from nearby Highland Park went down from time to time to run some batches through and keep the kit in working order. Chivas bought it over and repackaged the bottles and released 14 and 16 year olds.
Oban's another nice one that I like, light and a touch salty. Really nice distillery too, bang in the town centre.

Caol Isla cask strength

Caol Isla cask strength

OH MY GOD, Heaven!

This dilemma every year for me around November time. I drink, at most, two bottles of malt a year so I like to make them count; Islay being my preferred region. Each November I swear I'm going to try something different but end up buying the 'safe' Lagavulin 16. I'd like someone to just tell me what to buy 🙁

Any of the Jura collection, can't go wrong in my opinion

Jura is too common and attainable

enjoying Scapa at the moment

and Ledaig (Tobermory Distillery)

Jura is too common and attainable

[b]****YWHISKYSNOB KLAXON! [/b]

Loving the bottle of Smokehead that I picked up on Skye, didn't think I liked smokey whisky but this is delicious, as the lady in the shop said 'the taste just lingers and you keep finding in in the little nooks and crannies of your mouth' 😀

Different branding from the usual, if you think that's important, big skull on the bottle and lots of hard rock references...

just had a glass of Jura Origin. forgot how peaty it was, a bit too much for me.
having another with a drop of dry ginger.

Well I'm drinking a glass of Nikka Whisky from the Barrell - cast strength Japanese whisky - right now! I get it in Japan for £17, as opposed to £50 over here mind!

I like single malt but can't understand what all the snobbery is about over a blend.
Isn't blended whiskey a bit like having a decent bit of roast beef on your fork but then scooping up a bit of Yorkshire pud and dipping it in gravy...

I find Jura mild and not peaty but each to their own. I vote for Aberlour 10yr as well

Highland Park - A very good choice and easy going for any present.

i like edradour and dalwhinnie. both very light and mild compared to jura.

I'm lucky, I've never ever tasted a whisky (or a whiskey) I didn't like.

I give you Loch Dhu - and some Speyburn I've picked up at local garage hasn't been great either.

Didn't really like Ledaig last time I tried it, either..

But yes for Caol Ila, Bruichladdich, Ardbeg if you can find it (sold my last couple of treasured bottles..)

Loving the bottle of Smokehead that I picked up on Skye,

Isn't that a Bruichladdich one?

I stand to be corrected though (said the man in the orthopaedic shoes) 8)

Bunnahabhain 12yr old is probably my absolute fave though.

said the man in the orthopaedic shoes)

oy, i never said a word.............. 😆

@ Ton. 😆 😆 😆

Benromach peat smoke.

Absolutely top draw.

just had a glass of Jura Origin. forgot how peaty it was, a bit too much for me.

Really? Good gods, it's about the least peaty whisky there is. Are you perhaps a bourbon man in denial?

@essel: yep, it's heaven.
@squin: buy a whisky distilled, not bottled, in the year your friend was born - plenty of options online but may p**s on your budget; if you google 'vintage whisky' - even though, strictly speaking, there is no such thing in that maturation/ageing takes place in the cask, not the bottle but you would win many brownie points.
Let us know what you do.

Really? Good gods, it's about the least peaty whisky there is. Are you perhaps a bourbon man in denial?

Jura Superstition is the peated expression he may be thinking of.

Jura Elixir is by far the most pleasant of the three Juras commonly attainable in supermarkets for us plebs.

Glenfarglas 15.

i used to change what i bought, but now, it's always a bottle of that, and it tends to last about a week. it's nectar.

@cougar: glad I'm not the only one that really found Jura lacking. Haven't tried them all to be fair.
Islay's where it's at; Laphroaig is my regular, currently on an ardbeg uigeadail.

The lady in The Emporium in Skye reckoned the Smokehead was a young Lagavullin, but I've done no more research than that.

The car now stinks of it, overfilled the flask and it's all soaked into the cover, hope I don't get pulled over en route to Glenshee tomorrow! :s

Last time I was on Islay locals claimed smokehead was a lagavulin too, it is a nice dram, if you want something a wee bit different try a kilchoman, another Islay malt but not that common, only just released their first 10 year old but even their younger expressions are good I especially like the machir bay

I love Balblair. Small Sutherland based distillery, does releases of years rather than 10 or 15 year olds. Very nice

it was indeed Jura superstition. just checked. was ace with dry ginger tho

That makes more sense!

@cougar: glad I'm not the only one that really found Jura lacking. Haven't tried them all to be fair.
Islay's where it's at; Laphroaig is my regular, currently on an ardbeg uigeadail.

It's not "lacking" per sé, I really like it. It's an excellent "gateway" whisky, though if you're drinking Uigeadail it's a bit like comparing Coke with four star.

Have you sampled Ardbeggeddon? It's... exactly what it sounds like, truly something special.

Ardbeggeddon's going on the Christmas list

Not a Jura fan.
Find all the ones I've tried bland and slightly unpleasant.

Glad it's not just me.

ALDI have a good deal on Abelour 12 at the mo, £24.99.
Much prefer it tbh.

Ardbeggeddon's going on the Christmas list

Can you find it anywhere? I've not seen it available for years (and it was eye-wateringly expensive then).

The definitive answer is Mortlach 16yo. A shame it's like hens teeth now. 21yo Balvenie Port Wood is an expensive poorer alternative.
Aberlour A'bunadh is a good one.

Dalwhinnie is a good shout I think, everyone loves that don't they?

Ardbeg perhaps? Edradour is one that I really loved but rarely see for sale - so might make a good gift for the rarity value.

or Old Pulteney, which is pretty much 'mid taste' also

But OP is one of the few whiskies that I really can't stomach, despite appreciating stuff that people regard as similar.

if you want something a wee bit different try a kilchoman

words out of my mouth. the distillery is brilliant, was a farm (still is I suppose) but they've converted the outbuildings into a malting floor and distillery room. They grow their own barley as well as malting themselves (most buy in malt) and knock out a very respectable dram.

[url= http://bunnahabhain.com/ ]http://bunnahabhain.com/[/url]

18 Year is my favourite whisky, but the 12 is also good for a lower budget. Definitely recommend them both, otherwise anything from Islay gets my vote 🙂

Too many whisky's and not enough money.

50 quid is a great budget as there are some really good malts around that budget.

I can only recommend what I've tasted, so if you're a peat fan then caol Ila 12 is my favorite. Highland Park 10 and Johnny Walker double black (blended malt) for a cheaper but still great couple to try.

On the non peated side of things you can't beat glenfarclas 15 for a really complex sherried dram. Probably my all time favorite.
Glenlivet 15 is great too, and reasonably priced.
Glenmorangie do 3 different finished whisky's at that price point - lasanta, nectar dior and quintana rubana, all worth looking into.
The whisky exchange or amazon are the best places to buy. Amazon usually throw out some good deals too, glenfarclas was 33 quid yesterday!

Talking about whisky I guess I need to top up mine as I am running out ...

The Famous Grouse Scotch Whisky £15 per litre so that's me sorted for Xmas.

Never tried them before but if Prince Philip likes it I shall give it a try.

The Famous Grouse is basically a blend of Macallan and Highland Park, well Black Grouse is so I wouldn't say that at all.

Another vote for Caol Ila 12, very nice. Lagavulin 16 also excellent and both in budget.

Sheep Dip

I'm particularly partial to Caol Ila myself.

If you fancy east (as opposed to west) then Balvenie floats my boat.

Stayed at the utterly charming Port Charlotte, Islay on a recent biking trip round the islands and now have a bottle of Port Charlotte Heavily Peated from the Bruichladdich distillery. Sweet and smokey smooth heaven in a glass :-). Booths stock it too.

[img] [/img]
Find what you like and aim close....
Getting the wrong quarter would be unfortunate as the taste could be completely wrong for them.

Another vote for Caol Ila 12, very nice. Lagavulin 16 also excellent and both in budget.

Aberlour cask strength,surprisingly smooth for its 61.2 % 😯
about 40 pounds in waitrose

As it's a gift, why not something a bit different, English Whisky, the Cask Strength is particularly good:

https://www.englishwhisky.co.uk/online-shop/english-whisky/chapter-6-cask-strength-53

Do you mean Whisky or Whiskey?

Both are accepted spellings for the same thing, so why do we have to do this every time?

Anyway, my local offie sells a MacPhail bottling of Bunnahabhain - much peatier than the standard stuff. I like it a lot. It's terrific value, too.

https://www.thegreenwellystop.co.uk/whiskyshop/bunnahabhain-8-year-old-whisky-heavily-peated/prod_2882.html

Very partial to a good bourbon, I find JD a bit too harsh on the tongue.

JD isn't bourbon.

Both are accepted spellings for the same thing, so why do we have to do this every time?

The reason it's spelt differently is because the Irish wanted to distance themselves from the muck the Scots were producing at the time.

The reason it's spelt differently is because the Irish wanted to distance themselves from the muck the Scots were producing at the time.

I know the history and preferred usage, but to suggest that they are different products is not correct.

Count Zero - is that Signatory Bottled Caol Isla good? My favourite whisky shop in Tokyo has some for a good price and I'm tempted.

Next time I have £50 spare I'm going to get a bottle of Blair Atholl. You'll not see it in the supermarkets, only at the distillery and a few specialists (and, for whatever reason, some Edinburgh Woollen Mills) so it's a bit of a treat for someone who'd normally buy whisky from the supermarket (like me).

It's relatively easy drinking but very tasty, I was really taken with it.

https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/383/blair-athol-12-year-old

21yo Balvenie Port Wood

Is that what it sounds like?

I bought a Talisker Port Ruighe which was aged in Port Casks, the first time I smelt it (immediately after smelling and trying three other Taliskers) I could definitely smell the Port, after that it was just a nice whisky.

Definitely a fan of whisky aged in Port casks, although someone warned me that some of the 'Port' whiskies (like the Dalmore I think) had just been washed* through Port casks, as opposed to aged in them.

*or something like that, not 'aged in' basically

FWIW picked up a bottle of Glenlivet Founders Reserve in Asda last night for £20

[s]Jura[/s] Asda is too common and attainable

😉
😆

Caol Ila 12yr gets my vote. I'm gonna search for this cask strength version mentioned earlier...

This is slightly OT but if any of you find yourselves in Stockholm I can highly recommend the Ardbeg Embassy on Gamla Stan. Their whisky list is expensively impressive...

[url= http://www.ardbegembassy.se/beverages/whiskysortiment/ ]Whisky List[/url]

[img] [/img]

Both are accepted spellings for the same thing, so why do we have to do this every time?

Because some people need to take their victories where they can find them?

Definitely a fan of whisky aged in Port casks, although someone warned me that some of the 'Port' whiskies (like the Dalmore I think) had just been washed* through Port casks, as opposed to aged in them.

*or something like that, not 'aged in' basically

Dunno about that, but typically it'll be what they call a "finish." It'll be aged in bourbon barrels but transferred to a port (or whatever) barrel for the last six months before bottling.

I've never heard of either fully maturing whisky in a port barrel or just rinsing it through. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, just that I've never heard of it (I know a bit about whisky but am far from an expert).

21yo Balvenie Port Wood

Is that what it sounds like?

Yes, it is, and bloody lovely it is too. The Mortlach's just better 😉

The Wine Society used to do a cracking bottling of Mortlach, but as swamis says, it's been harder to find and /or very expensive 🙁

CountZero - Member

Talking about whisky I guess I need to top up mine as I am running out ...
The Famous Grouse Scotch Whisky £15 per litre so that's me sorted for Xmas.
Never tried them before but if Prince Philip likes it I shall give it a try.

Isn't that stuff a bit like Teachers or Bells; whisky for people who don't know anything about it, and only buy what's advertised on telly at Christmas?
I bought a bottle of Talisker Skye, and a bottle of Woodford Reserve bourbon in Morrison's this morning for £25 each.
Very partial to a good bourbon, I find JD a bit too harsh on the tongue.
I might pop over to Aldi and Lidl to see what offers they might have going as well.

Just opened a bottle of Haig club that someone gave me. I was suspicious of it immediately. This suspicion ramped up when I realised it was the stuff Mr Beckham was, I assume, paid an inordinate amount of money to plug. I like Mr B but don't have him down as a whisky connoisseur (not that I qualify either).

That said, it's a bit weird. I'm not giving it back or tipping it away but I shan't be drinking it again. Once the bottles gone obviously.

Edit: actually, that third glass seems to have improved matters.......

yeah i got a bottle to haig club cheap too

its fine if you like whisky that doesn't taste of owt