Whisky for a novice

wannabedamned said:
That bottle of Glenfiddich looks an interesting one, Found a bottle at £15 online. I know it's going to sound really daft, but i'd like to have the bottle on my breakfast bar, it would make me look mature and sophisticated when i have guests around.

I feel i should point out, that my breakfast bar has a section on 1 end where i put alcohol. it's not going on there, because i need a tipple in the morning :p
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Where did you find it that cheap?

Or is it one of the small 20cl bottles?
 
I love whiskey :) makes me feel all warm inside. My father in-law is into the stuff. Single malt etc that are aged in oak barrells. He has one that was aged in two different barrells for 15years and has "Double-wood" written on the bottle which made me chortle a bit lol.

Ive always liked whisky, my earliest memory was nabbing some and all my friends bawked at the stuff and would rather drink pints of wife beater and nasty cheap ciders.
 
That's 'Balvennie', kept a cardboard tube on my desk for a while for chuckling purposes.

If you genuinely don't like the taste of Whisky, don't force it down for the sake of it - having said that, Jack Daniels from a nightclub isn't a good way to sample good Whisky!

My suggestion would be Bruichladdich - a very tasty Islay single malt that isn't at all difficult to drink. Distinctive Peaty taste without the harsh medicinal flavour of Laphroaig.
 
I'd love to like whisky - I always have to pass when hip flasks are offered round on winter MTB rides.

The ones I've tasted on distillery tours (Jamesons nr Cork and Cardhu in Scotland) are like rocket fuel :(
 
Go to a bar or pub that has a decent whisky selection and try a few. Make sure you taste ones that aren't peaty or smoky first.

From stuff you'll find in a pub, I would recommend Jamesons for a decent Irish blend. Bushmills malt (there are non malts) for an Irish single malt. Teachers and Grants aren't bad as Scotch blends go. Of the single malts, I'd suggest Glenmorangie (floral and woody), Macallan (sherried, cerial like), and Laphroaig (peaty, medicinal and smoky - you'll either love it or hate it). I think the Glenfiddich 12yo has taken a down-turn in recent years, to the point that it could put people off. The 15 and 18 year old Glenfiddich are nice if you can find them.

Ideally, taste at room temperature - no ice. Order a still mineral water at the same time. Swirl a little whisky on the side of the glass and let the beads of liquid slid down. Sniff from a distance and then get closer. Take some time to get to know the smell. Then take a little sip. Wait for the flavour to develop and finish. Then take a slighly larger mouthful and breathe in over the whisky. Again wait for the finish. If it seems overpowering take a swig of water and maybe add a little to the whisky and repeat.

Try this with a few whiskies and you'll soon find out whether you like them or now.

The following isn't a bad pack of miniatures, if you want to try a few Scottish single malts: http://www.whiskyandwines.com/single-malt-whisky-flavour-miniature-set-p-2494.html It contains Glenkinichie (light, unchallenging, easy drinking lowland whisky), Dalwhinnie (a decent all round Highlander), Singleton of Dufftown (a Speysider I've not tried) and Talisker (A spicy, smoky island whisky). Each bottle is equivalent of about a double so the pack is 10 shots). Bear in mind delivery is another £6-7 but the price isn't too bad compared to bar prices. You might want to order something else at the same time to save on postage.
 
All whiskey should really be taken with a wee drop of water, I'm told be distillers that I've chatted to; it brings out all the flavours and aromas apparently but just as with wine and beer, drink what you like, the way you like and try not to be too much of a snob about things.

Glenmorangie would be my suggestion for a starting point.

Good luck.
 
A single Jamesons or Glenfiddich and coke. Start off on mixer before moving onto neat as it might take a little time to acquire the palate.
 
Must... resists..... whisky vs whiskey debate.

The Glenlivet 12 yr should be in everyone's drink cabinet. The easiest of single malts to drink. I'd drink pints of it.
 
wannabedamned said:
That bottle of Glenfiddich looks an interesting one, Found a bottle at £15 online. I know it's going to sound really daft, but i'd like to have the bottle on my breakfast bar, it would make me look mature and sophisticated when i have guests around.

I feel i should point out, that my breakfast bar has a section on 1 end where i put alcohol. it's not going on there, because i need a tipple in the morning :p
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Do you have a Netto locally? They have Isle Of Jura with a hip flask for £16.99.
 
Only had whiskey a couple of times.... The first time I actually felt it burn all the way down :(

Might give it another go tho. My dad has literally hundreds of bottles of the stuff. People keep buying him different types all the time so I guess I have no excuse not to try a few and see what I like/dislike... He had one last week called "Sheeps Dip" which I found amusing :D

Edit: Found it :D

2ljsw8p.jpg
 
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Justin said:
Glenfiddich 18 Year Old, single malt Scotch is a good place to start.
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Thats not really inex[ensive though. For a 12 year old malt it's not unreasonably priced but for a beginner it might be over kill?

Edit: Just seen that you can apparently get this for £15 which seems cheap? Can someone provide a link?
 
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Richie said:
Only had whiskey a couple of times.... The first time I actually felt it burn all the way down :(

Might give it another go tho. My dad has literally hundreds of bottles of the stuff. People keep buying him different types all the time so I guess I have no excuse not to try a few and see what I like/dislike... He had one last week called "Sheeps Dip" which I found amusing :D

Edit: Found it :D

2ljsw8p.jpg
Click to expand...

oooh i'd like to try that. looks different.
 
J&B would be my recommendation.

As it is not very common in the Uk the best blace to start would be a decent off licence.

The reason it is nice to drink is that it is smooth and doesn't have a smoky, petey taste.

Although single malts are "better" whiskys most of it will be lost on the average joe, me included.

Yes Glenmorangie is much nicer than Tesco value etc, but i could probably not tell the difference between a £500 and a £50 one.
 
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