done myself a favour, got a bottle of Rare Breed in the post!! regular Wild Turkey is my favourite off-the-shelf tipple so looking forward to this – is it sacrilege to drink over ice?

postman has been. wow! dont think ill be adding ice…

I like Woodford or Makers neat/ room temp, but Buffalo Trace i like a big ice cube in there.

Malts i like in a glass, in my hand, warmed so slightly higher than room temp

I think Woodford Reserve has a surprising amount going on if you put it in a Glencairn glass,
and certainly for a drink you can often find at £20 a bottle.

Popped to Tesco and no Woodford left, did get a Wild Turkey 101 though, so far so good. Santa will hopefully bring a Rare Breed.

Back to the proper stuff.

Glenmorangie 10yo for £25 on Amazon.

Possibly the best-balanced single malt out there IMO, textbook stuff.

New to this. I just got Scapa Skirin for £32 in Asda, down from £41. The original Scapa 16 was my absolute favourite.

Back to the proper stuff.

Glenmorangie 10yo for £25 on Amazon.

Possibly the best-balanced single malt out there IMO, textbook stuff.

I’m with you there chakaping. Lovely spicy, citrusy dram.

Not a spirit man but got an M&S voucher in place of a works christmas party and took a punt on a bottle of Tamdhu – first bottle of whisky I’ve ever bought and really enjoyed it. Next up – Suntory Toki, solely so I can go “For relaxing times….” 🙂

Highland Park 12 is down to £20 in Morrisons.

Co-op have Ardmore single malt at a shade over £20 too.

I’m no big whisky man, but find them both very drinkable.

I got a bottle of Suntory Hibiki a while back its lovely!

Can I just say I have just stumbled upon this thread three Bruichladdich two finger measures down. I may move on to the cheap stuff now my faculties are going.

Supermarkets..

wifes just suggested we buy a bottle to go with a haggis shes just bought and we hardly ever have any in. neither of us really like it that much, its a drink that i want to like but i always head back to the rum.

however, im better with it than i used to be and think id prefer milder whiskies rather than peaty, so glenmorangie types maybe?

are there any suitable bottles on offer anywhere right now? im thinking in the £20’s rather than £30’s and above….

cheers

its a drink that i want to like but i always head back to the rum

I’d recommend Jura.

My wife bought me a nice selection of whiskies for Christmas. A few of my favourites a a few new ones. About 6 bottles. Then, on 1st Jan, she announced it would be a good idea for us to do dry January.

I’d recommend Jura.

think thats the one we had last, so id agree with you…..

You would probably be fine with a supermarket own brand Speyside tbh.

Lidl and Aldi may be the best bang for buck.

Lidl and Aldi may be the best bang for buck.

Agreed. They’re quite pleasant and less than £20 a bottle.

google shows me aldi’s glen marnoch 12 year old, any others?

thanks

The 8 year old Queen Margot blended malt at Lidl is perfectly passable.

google shows me aldi’s glen marnoch 12 year old, any others?

I usually get the Islay version of that, which is pleasant enough. I’d assume the Speyside is of similar quality.

I usually get the Islay version of that,

is lapphroig an islay? if its anything like that then naaaah 🤢

is lapphroig an islay?

No but Laphroaig is 😁 Plenty of other decent whiskys you might try a Glen Moray from the co-op often available at around £20. Usually no age statement at that price though.

Ps Islay whiskys are best imo, and Lagavulin 16 is the daddy of them all.

In that case have a go at the Lidl Ben Bracken Highland version. Just under £17 a bottle. It’s sweeter and spicier with some nice chocolatey notes. Try it neat, then with a few drops of water. For the outlay it’s one you could keep trying until you like it. And if you still don’t like it use it as a mixer!

Ps Islay whiskys are best imo, and Lagavulin 16 is the daddy of them all.

but im guessing totally different from ‘speysides’? i certainly didnt like ‘Laphroaig’ (sorry gordimhor) 😉

In that case have a go at the Lidl Ben Bracken Highland version. Just under £17 a bottle. It’s sweeter and spicier with some nice chocolatey notes.

well the bumph says…..
Light, elegant and refined with attractive nuances of vanilla honey, cinnamon, creamy caramel and coffee latte. These enticing aromas are reflected on the palate with rewarding silky flavours of roasted almonds, sun dried raisins, moist banana cake and maple syrup.
sounds lovely. im not very good at picking flavours out of beers/rums/whiskies, but id like to try that i think…..

The Lidl single malts I’ve had have been very good.

Lagavulin 16 is the daddy of them all

Agree… but so far from what they are seeking!

@sadexpunk Glenmorangie, Highland Park 12… if you didn’t like Laphroig you will like precisely zero other Islays. I love a good drop of peaty, burning electronics, hospital disinfectant, but like a bottle of HP every now and then to reset the palate.

Take this chart with a pinch of salt (or a drop of water if you prefer) but it might give you a starting point.

Laphroaig 10 is 28 at Morrisons just FYI

thanks for that chart bob, interesting. i guess i should look nearer bottom left, polar opposite to the laphroaig? 😀

actually i just had another look at the lidl ben bracken and im confused now, theres 3 of them?

theres the speyside that has this bumph…..
Noble and dignified with warm rich aromas of crème brulee, glazed orange segments, honey dipped in brioche and marzipan. An unforgettable taste of coffee dark bitter chocolate, black morello cherries and pecan pie completes this highland masterpiece. The taste is big and juicy, complex and dry.

and the highland which has the taste i quoted above…..
Light, elegant and refined with attractive nuances of vanilla honey, cinnamon, creamy caramel and coffee latte. These enticing aromas are reflected on the palate with rewarding silky flavours of roasted almonds, sun dried raisins, moist banana cake and maple syrup.

the islay i can forget about 😀

which do you think would be nearer to a jura/glenmorangie whisky? i like the sound of the highland more, but youve recommended speysides?

thanks

im not very good at picking flavours out of beers/rums/whiskies, but id like to try that i think…..

I used to think it was all bollox, but seriously, try chewing it. Let it wash over all the different parts of your tongue and as you swallow realise you’re smelling it as well. You’ll be amazed at the different tastes flavours and aromas you get from a decent complex scotch. If it all tastes the same then it’s most likely shite……especially if all you’re really getting is a harsh alcohol flavour.

Sadexpunk- try Arran 10. A great introduction to better quality Scotch.

I used to think it was all bollox, but seriously, try chewing it. Let it wash over all the different parts of your tongue and as you swallow realise you’re smelling it as well. You’ll be amazed at the different tastes flavours and aromas you get from a decent complex scotch. If it all tastes the same then it’s most likely shite……especially if all you’re really getting is a harsh alcohol flavour.

we-ell, ill try, but i just dont think ive got the taste buds to detect the flavours. same with beer, my mate can taste the burnt toffee, notes of caramel yadayada, but me? just tastes like beer.

Sadexpunk- try Arran 10. A great introduction to better quality Scotch.

ok, its in the bottom left quadrant so it goes on the list of possibles 🙂

i’ll let you know how i get on……

thanks

Sadexpunk Glen Goyne is a nice dram light and grassy in taste probably nearer to £30 than £20 though, Auchentoshan American oak is usually available around £20 – 22 it’s caramel-ish in taste and goes well with a digestive biscuit (trust me) although tbh I wouldn’t pay anymore than £22 for it.

Sadexpunk Glen Goyne is a nice dram light and grassy in taste probably nearer to £30 than £20 though, Auchentoshan American oak is usually available around £20 – 22 it’s caramel-ish in taste and goes well with a digestive biscuit (trust me) although tbh I wouldn’t pay anymore than £22 for it.

both bottom left, im seeing a pattern here on my list 😀

Aye, punk; step away from the Islay malts! Seriously;the Lidl mainland malts are perfectly drinkable. Couple of others you get on special in Tesco a fair bit are auchentoshan and Tamnavuilan. But honestly; Lidl malt for the win.

Glengoyne is a good shout. Worth keeping an eye on the prices of the 10 and 12 year old on Amazon as they do fluctuate. They had the 10 for £24 recently which was an absolute steal.

ok, one each of the ben brackens acquired, a highland and a speyside, they should keep me going a while. ill report back on whether i get any of those yummy sounding flavours coming through, but i really do think itll be ‘just tastes like whisky’. itll also be interesting that if i dont, then can i still tell the difference between the two.

thanks for your help, ive noted those other recommendations for future too.

ill report back on whether i get any of those yummy sounding flavours coming through, but i really do think itll be ‘just tastes like whisky’.

well the results are in and er……. it just tastes like whisky 😀

myself and the wife did 3 taste tests.

test 1. couldnt remember all the tastes listed, so blind tasting. poured a drink from each bottle into a tumbler (no peeking at the labels), had a swig, and as recommended above swilled it around our mouths and over our tongues for a bit. taste any flavours? naaaah.

test 2. looked at both the lists of flavours but didnt know which one was which. but, we knew that somewhere in either of them should have been some creme brulee, glazed orange, dark choc, pecan pie, banana cake, vanilla honey, cinnamon, raisins, maple syrup….. get anything? nope. me neither.

test 3. identified the bottles and matched them to the lists. so we knew that this bottle should taste of these, and same for the other one.

not one of the listed flavours came through for either of us with either bottle. as i thought it might, it ‘just tastes like whisky’. but, even tho we couldnt identify specific flavours, we did both agree that one was milder and ‘nicer’ than the other, but we just didnt know why. (the speyside was milder/nicer than the highland by the way)

sorry 😀

Try again with a little splash of water added to each glass. That can really bring out the flavours.

You don’t have to do it right now, but I won’t tell anyone if you do.

dohhh, knew i forgot something. i did that too as i heard it does indeed bring out the flavour more 🙂

sorry again 😀