Fellow Whisky Affictionados!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Aod
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Mr Jack said:
Unlike beer & wine, Whisky neither improves nor deteriorates once it is bottled. The length of time since bottling is thus irrelevant, and only the age in the barrel (the 12 years) matters.
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Ah right, that's interesting ! point taken :) I still felt it was something special to be drinking an item that had been kept for so long - felt like a real priviledge :)
 
Mr Jack said:
Great story, trickyj!



Unlike beer & wine, Whisky neither improves nor deteriorates once it is bottled. The length of time since bottling is thus irrelevant, and only the age in the barrel (the 12 years) matters.
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just about, but eventually the alcohol oxidises into alderhydes and the "whisky" becomes very poisionous. this is especially likely to happen if the bottle either uses a cork or has been opened before.
 
That's a good story there trickyj :)

I'm a great fan of Laphroaig a trait that seems to have been passed down from my dad, anyway it's my birthday soon I decided to treat myself and got this despite the ridiculous prices here...

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I usually add a drop of water but even though the quarter cask is stronger (flavour and ABV) I actually preferred it without.

Next on my list is a Lagavulin I think :)
 
Some good advice so far - and some shocking advice too :p

The Glenlivet linked to earlier is a nice whisky - quite mellow and tasty. The Bowmore linked to above is scrumptious but being an Islay malt, is not universally appreciated - it can be an acquired taste.

To play it safe, anything from the Balvenie range will be splendid. 10yo is nice, 12yo is really nice, 15yo is excellent and the 17yo (which I've not long finished a bottle of) is absolutely scrumptious. The 21yo isn't really any better than the 15yo and isn't worth paying the extra for in my opinion.

If you're not used to Islay malts and would like to dip your toes, the Bunnabhain mentioned earlier is somewhat milder than most Islay malts and is a good starting point for those unfamiliar with the breed. Bruichladdich and Caol Ila are another two less aggressive Islay malts.

If you're acquainted with Islay malts and enjoy them then you can't go far wrong with a bottle of Laphroaig quarter cask as suggested earlier. If you enjoy that sort of thing then, next time you have a spare couple of hundred quid or so lying around, try a bottle of 30yo Laphroaig - best £200 I ever spent :cool:

As for how to drink it, drink it how you like it.

When I try a new whisky, I try it neat first (there are one or two I prefer neat - but not many) then I add a few drops of water, then a little more and so on until I find the mix I like best. It varies with every whisky (I really should write it down as I can never remember how I prefer each one :o).

I prefer most whiskies with a little water, I find it enhances the taste of most whiskies and I challenge anyone to say I don't know what I'm talking about :p

Edit: At above post, Lagavulin is a yummy whisky too.
 
Have you tried Bruichladdich Bigstan?

I have been invited to a tasting eveing at the merchant where I buy my wine and whisky from on the 25th April. They are also tasting whisky from the Murray McDavid range too.

I have never been to anything like this so I am not sure if I will go or not!
 
Angilion said:
If you want be get inebriated, drink Bells or Grants or whatever. They're just as effective at getting you drunk - you just need about 20% more to offset the difference in abv (I'm assuming that the 105 is 105 proof, 52.5% abv).

I once spent some time in an off license with a calculator, finding out which bottle gave the most alcohol per pound. It was an exercise in student efficiency :) The winner was Tiger Milk, a bottle of slop that made Thunderbirds seem refined. When I were a lad...I was an idiot :)
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I still refuse to drink Bell's, Grouse, Grant's and the like. Rough as Dog's Arses.

The 105 is 60% abv. Partial to it, as my Grandfather was killed building something to do with the Distillery. My dad gets a nice selection sent from them every year. Naturally, I sample this extensively.:D

I still prefer a nice Islay over a Speyside though. As mentioned, it's an acquired taste.
 
An update on the Laphroaig Original Cask Strength - just had my second go at the bottle and it's gone up in my estimations. SO different to Quarter Cask, which is still my favourite, but last time I drowned it with 1:1 water to whisky. This time I just put a drop in as normal and WOAH, it's got a serious kick to it...hardly subtle but worth it :)
 
Slinwagh said:
Have you tried Bruichladdich Bigstan?

I have been invited to a tasting eveing at the merchant where I buy my wine and whisky from on the 25th April. They are also tasting whisky from the Murray McDavid range too.

I have never been to anything like this so I am not sure if I will go or not!
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I heartily recommend Bruichladdich, it's a very nice whisky - it's not as peaty as most Islay malts but still has a smoky, sea salt tang.

Go to the whisky tasting. There will probably be some very knowledgeable people there who will be only to happy to give advice on any subject you care to ask them about. You should get some good tips and taste some nice whiskies :)

@Aod.
You won't be disappointed with the 18yo Bowmore, I love it.

Edit: Penderyn is ghastly, stay away from it at all costs :p

If you want to try a non Scottish malt, try some of the Japanese malts, especially from the Suntory distillery. Try the Yamazaki, I had the 10yo and it was nice but needed some more time in the cask. I bought my Mam a bottle of the 12yo for Mother's day and she loved it. Will be trying a bottle of the 18yo at some point in the near future.
 
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Ah, thanks Bigstan. I look forward to trying a japanese Whisky one day, but they're somewhat over budget. i hear that japanese whisky's more than any others should be diluted with abitta (;)) water?
 
Col_M said:
That's a good story there trickyj :)

I'm a great fan of Laphroaig a trait that seems to have been passed down from my dad, anyway it's my birthday soon I decided to treat myself and got this despite the ridiculous prices here...
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Love the stuff. Slowly working toward the end of a 25 y/o Laphroaig, marvellous stuff.
 
I second Ardbeg, can't believe only 1 person mentioned it. It's quite full, but sweet and chocolatey so it's a nice whisky for a "beginner" to start drinking with :)
As far as Islays go Lagavulin is my favourite.
I also remember reading about a new London-based company which created new and interesting flavours of Scotch by mixing various different single malts, but I forgot its name.

Mr Jack said:
There are good reasons for drinking Whisky in the traditional ways. The flavour of Whisky comes from volatile auromatics, if you chill it you get less of these, if you heavily water you dillute the flavour, if you add flavoured additives you mask the flavour.

Sure, there's no point in drinking anything in a way you don't like but, equally, why spend your money on the best quality whiskys if you're then going to take steps to stop you from being able to probably appreciate their subtlety and complexity?
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Well put, it's not "snobbery" if I get angry at someone diluting £40/litre whisky with £2/litre coke, it's downright honest indignation: you can't tell the difference in taste between a Laphroaig and a Bells if you dilute it too much (whether with coke/ginger ale or even plain old water), so why drive up the price of the good stuff for those of us who like the way they taste neat? I think a lot of whisky drinkers just order expensive whiskeys to appear rich or cultured, and don't really like the stuff (which is why they add stuff to it) or can't really taste the difference. I know it's a free country and all, and I rarely actually have a go at people in public about it, but hell, I can't help myself feeling a bit angry.

As far as my personal feelings about water and ice go: it's true that a drop of water releases the aromas of the whisky, but if you let it sit in the glass for a few minutes that will happen by itself anyway. I love ice with my whisky, but even a single ice cube waters it down too much if you let it melt, so I prefer to just have a glass of iced water beside it. If that's not an option (say I'm in a bar and I'll look like an idiot carrying around two glasses:p) but I still want my drink iced then I'll have a cheap whisky instead - or switch to beer! :D I've read somewhere that some people use carbon dioxide ice cubes because they cool your drink and then evaporate instead of watering it down. I haven't tried it though, so I don't know if maybe it affects the aroma of the drink, and I suspect they'd be on the pricey side too.
 
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