Scotch Whiskey 101

“Balvenie is the bestest. Crazy Mike got me on to that, and I thank him profusely.

A Balvenie toast to ya, CMB. Salut!”

“Oh, that is soooooo good!”

“Mike???




Oh Mi-ike???



I hate like hell to drink alone.”

“He probably ran out of Balvenie, buying up spiders and whatever spiders eat.”

“"Of course there are lots of different single-malt scotches. If you're not brave enough to try a single malt right off the bat, try a blend, like White Label, which is one of my fave blends."

So are the single malts harsher or stronger? I thought the singles were the smoothest and best.”

“The singles have more of an individual taste, therefore aficionados will tend to like one more than another. Blends like White Label, Johnny Walker, and Chivas Regal are several single-malt scotches blended together to get a more uniform, and usually less extreme taste. Blends are less likely to have one taste stronger than the other.”

“Whiskey Good.


Single Malt Whisky Gooder.

Once you go single, you never go back.

BTW - ice or a dash of water is OK, I guess...if you need to. Mixing good liquor with any other pollutant is an abomination, IMHO.”

“Thanks bit. I'll see if I can find a nice blended to try. For helping me, if I hate it I'll send you the rest of the bottle. If I love it, you get to be my sponsor.”

“I like my whisk(e)y neat.

Summer of 2003, my family took a vacation to DisneyWorld in Florida. One of the nights we were there, the hotel pool bar had a happy hour, and my brother and I went down to take advantage of it and smoke a couple of cigars. After the "free beer" crowd left, we went back to the bar to order real drinks. I ordered Chivas Regal, neat. The bartendress understood the "Chivas Regal" part, but not the "neat" part. I had to explain it to her.”

“You really carry beer on the trail? How much?”

“Is "neat" meaning that she didn't spill any? LOL! That means straight, no ice, right?”

“Yes, neat means no ice, no water, nothing but liquor in a glass, dammit, and hurry. lol...
last edited: 2/24/05 9:42:40 AM”

““You really carry beer on the trail? How much?”

Depends. Sometimes four pints of Boddingtons, sometimes as amny as eight. Sometimes a 12er.”

“I would think a room temp drink would have more flavor. I like a nice tepid ale.”

“Generally, it's not considered an abomination to have some water with your Scotch. With a particularly strong Scotch, it can enhance your enjoyment. That said, I always take mine neat.

My favorites.
Dalwhinnie - very smooth with a nice round flavor and sweet finish. Great for after dinner. Not too strong.

Knockando - one I had never heard of until a friend brought it from Norway. Full flavored with soft edges and a lingering finish.

Glenkinchie - About as peaty as I care to have my Scotch, but a great all around Whisky.”

“How does Glenkinchie compare with, say, Laphroaig?”

“I tried Dalwhinnie once and did not like it as much as Balvenie.

I read about Knockando but I don't think I've seen it in stores.”

“I've seen the Knockando in stores, but never bought any. I tend to save my money for the Macallan.”

“glenmorangie--port wood finished

Still made by the Sixteen Men of Tain, and you should thank each one for it.”

“To change the subject only a little.
During a business function I had the opportunity to try Don Julio 1942 tequila.
Dang that was some GOOOOD stuff.
The resturant charged $20 a shot.
I wondered how much it would really cost (not resturant prices) so I went to our local speciality liquor store.
$150!!!! a fifth!!!!
It was really good, but $150?!
Now I'm going to have to win the Lottery.
last edited: 2/24/05 10:55:48 AM”

“bitpusher, Glenkinchie only has a hint of peatiness. Laphroaig will burn your tongue off. Does that answer your question? :-)

geobeet, I like Balvenie as well. Just bought some last week in fact.

bongofreek, I've always liked Glenmorangie, and I'm with you on the Port wood finish. But I've got to be in the mood for it. Very bold. Did you know that Glenmorangie is now the top selling single malt?”

“Nigal if you want to try hard liquor (more bang per oz.), may I suggest, Cuervo Gold. Squeeze some lemon juice into your nalgene and top it off with the tequila. At camp cut this with about 50% water and sip.
Mind you this is not a drink for connoisseurs, but it will get you enjoyably started on the hard stuff.”

“On the 6th of September 2002, Cask 191 was emptied for bottling and only 83 bottles of this precious liquid were forthcoming. The angels had indeed taken their share! The Balvenie Cask 191 is the smallest release of The Balvenie ever, so sadly only a few consumers will ever get to try it.

The Balvenie Cask 191 retails at £6,000 for a 70cl bottle. It is available to buy in The Balvenie Club and a few very select shops around the world.”

“6,000 pounds of what?”

“Silver.

I've had the Laphroaig, and it is damn peaty, that's for sure, lol...”

“Doc:

I didn't know that about Glenmorangie...if I were a hipster, I would have to buy something else...

BTW, I am with you on the Dahlwhinne...just got a bottle for valentine's day...”

“Yeah bongo, I read that a few months ago and it really surprised me, especially since its price is midrange, unlike the less expensive Glens. (I've never liked Glenlivet, but I still drink Glenfiddich a fair amount).

Scotch is definitely expensive, but it's not that bad when you consider how you use it. It's not like you pour it into mixed drinks, so a bottle can last 6 months to a year, even with regular drinking. Unless my buddy comes over. He loves to try my scotches, but he has no concept of a normal amount. He pours that stuff like wine. We went over to his house for a Lord of the Rings Trilogy marathon and he drank 2/3 of a bottle of Balvenie!”

“That Balvenie double cask finish is my favorite single malt.

Laphroaig also has a strong camphor taste to it, what Micheal Jackson (not wacko) would call a medicinal mouth feel.

Generally blends are preferred for their consistancy rather than their character.

Johnny Walker Blue Label is the most amazing blend I've ever had the luxury of drinking.”

“Doc:

that's why my wife is never allowed to pour scotch in my house...she thinks it's kool-aid.

Currahee: a friend of mine pulled out a bottle of JW Blue and a couple of cigars one night...one long night...ended up damn near killing the bottle between us.”

“I'm cheap & have no desire to impress anyone. I like "Smugglers" scotch whisky. Tastes good & reasonably priced. I like to drink it on the rocks.”

“actually geo, while i'm not an english major, or writer, whiskEy is the way it is spelled, whisky is an acceptable variant of this.”

“Doc - Good Scotch will not last that long at my place, and I have yet had Company that likes it.

I don't drink it to impress anyone. I drink it because I like it

baume - I'm thinking "Whisky" existed long before "Whiskey" and I'm pretty sure no "Whisky" made in the UK has an "e".”

“Whisky is a trademarked term for scotch whisky. Whiskey is everything else. If you market whiskey as whisky, you'll have Sean Connery and a lawyer knocking on your door.

I think some Irish liquors may also use the whisky term, but I'm not certain.

It's not a matter of being an English major. It's a trademark issue.”

“I should come over to your place sometime, bearmagnet, so that will no longer be true, lol...”

“BM, I don't drink to impress either. In fact, I thought I hated scotch. But a friend of mine who gets the best liquors from all over the world gave me some whiskey one night. I looked at the bottle so I could go buy some "Scottish Whisky." I was dumbfounded at the store, which had aisles for Irish Whiskey, Bourbon Whiskey, etc. But no Scottish Whiskey. Only then did it hit me.

I know, what a dumb@ss. But hey, I like what I like!”

“my apologies. i stand corrected and enlightened. thank you.”

“Ok so I found some pints of scotch at the local liquor store. I’m either getting the Dewers White Label or the Chaves Royal (?). Which is better for a first timer?”

“They are both good. Go with whichever is cheaper.

White Label is my blend of choice, but often bars don't have it, and do have Chivas, so I drink that.”

“Cool, thanks. When I went to store I was just lost. they didn't have many of the brands you guys suggested but I saw a lot of familiar names like Johnny Walker but being familiar doesn't always mean good. I mean, Mad Dog 20/20 is a recognizable name too.”

“Being introduced into the world of Scotch is easier if you have a mentor. Too bad you live in Ohio, or I could be of more assistance (Read: I'd help you drink your Scotch, you newbie!)”

“You'd you settle for being my sponsor?

My neighbor has a bunch of Glenlivit and a few others and he said he show me the ropes but I work evenings and haven’t had a chance to go over on the weekend.”

“Ha! I currently have no Scotch in my house because I've been trying to be thrifty so we can afford to go on this vacation to Nag's Head.

Glenlivet is goood stuff. It was my first single-malt. My favorite until I tried the Macallan. Oohooooo...”

“I liked Glenlivet until I tried Glenfiddich, then I liked that until I tried Glen Morangi, and I liked that until I tried Balvenie. Balvenie seems to be where I'll stay awhile. I expect to get the night shift at Balvenie working again over the weekend when I go camping in West-By-God with my friend.”

“ok, depends on what you like, You like em smooth and mild then go for an Edinburgh or Spey, you like them smokey and peaty go for a highland or island.”

“Go with Dalwhinnie. It is very smooth, cheaper than a lot of the other good single malts, and mild enough for newbies. You can graduate to the peatier, smokier ones later. Careful, though, this obsession can get expensive. Sometimes I think I should have just gotten into heroin. It might have saved me some money.

I still can't get into Islays, though. I prefer the highland malts.”

“Chivas is good but call the resident Scotch man ..CMB”

“My best buddy's brother, the one that outruns the 'state' police with his Ford 350 and who tried to steal the pig at the county fair has got me into Islay (EYElah) malts.

Yup, heroin would prolly be cheaper.”

“actually forget the Scotch and get some Woodford Reserve


last edited: 5/03/05 1:00:18 PM”

“I got my brother a bottle of that for his birthday, and it's good.”

“this is what you want to begin with
http://www.discovering-distilleries.com/glenkinchie”