The OCUK Whisky (and Whiskey) review thread

ik9000 said:
our local post office has JW blue for £135 which seems a very good price in general, nevermind for a little corner shop! I thought it was usually much more than that, or am I just too used to London prices?
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Aren't there lots of variants of the Blue which range from hundreds to thousands? I thought the standard one was around the 100 mark
 
hughtrimble said:
Aren't there lots of variants of the Blue which range from hundreds to thousands? I thought the standard one was around the 100 mark
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You could be right, it's not really something I've followed in any detail as I tend to stick to single malts. In Africa however SMs are very hard to come by whereas JW can be picked up in most large stores and even some local grocers in the more major cities, so I got it into it a bit while I was out there a few years back. It does not however stop you getting the squits if you drop your toothbrush in untreated tap water and just try rinsing it in whisky. If you go to Africa take at least one spare toothbrush, preferably two.
 
ik9000 said:
well, before moving to other distilleries for a gift why not play it safe, but different variation from a place he likes? Below is an affordable and interesting variation on the theme, and I find port finishes are generally quite pleasant
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hughtrimble said:
Glenfarclas have very good, and affordable, whiskies. I like the 15, but their 25 and 30 are really very reasonably priced in the context of similar age whiskies. Of course, older doesn't necessarily mean better, so it's worth checking out some reviews and seeing if the tastes that develop over time will suit his palate.
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Lupis said:
It might help people to narrow it down if you gave a price range you'd like it to be in, and if there are any you have already ruled out, as he's already had them or the like.

But just going on what you have said so far check out the GlenAllachie range, if he likes GlenDronach.
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Thanks all, typically looking to spend around £50. Its an additional gift. He's tried dearer bottles before but always seems to come back to the regular malts as his preference.

Will read up on those suggestions and reviews :)
 
Pen66 said:
Thanks all, typically looking to spend around £50. Its an additional gift. He's tried dearer bottles before but always seems to come back to the regular malts as his preference.

Will read up on those suggestions and reviews :)
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The GlenAllachie 15 is generally around £55-60 and the GA 12 £42-45 and I think either would be suitable.
 
After the day I've had I'm looking forward to having a couple Jura single malt scotch on the rocks after I've read my daughter's a story each.

Long story short my 3 y/o daughter crapped and wet herself on our 2 k couch. I was 1 gag away from throwing up all over her.

Might just eye ball Paul it in about 30 mins. I'm going to power read each story now lol.
 
Smiffy-UK said:
After the day I've had I'm looking forward to having a couple Jura single malt scotch on the rocks after I've read my daughter's a story each.

Long story short my 3 y/o daughter crapped and wet herself on our 2 k couch. I was 1 gag away from throwing up all over her.

Might just eye ball Paul it in about 30 mins. I'm going to power read each story now lol.
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eww I'm so sorry mate. That sucks. Hope you got it all out! And is she ok? How was the Jura?
 
ik9000 said:
eww I'm so sorry mate. That sucks. Hope you got it all out! And is she ok? How was the Jura?
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Yeah it was nice thanks. Yeah she's fine. I didn't even shout at her. But I did take her tablet away for the rest of the day. I think it was laziness imo.

I was so close to throwing up, the smell haha, she needed a bath before bed that's for sure lol,

I managed to drink all the Jura about half a bottle. My eldest who's 6 came in this morning and threw her blankie at me to wake me up at 7:45, my head was a bit swore lol, I'll go though this thread and see what other suggestions on single malt whisky other say is nice, think I had 3 glasses of gin too at about 3 am. The Mrs keep coming down and blowing my buzz saying come to bed I want cuddles, no I'm cuddling alcohol haha.
 
Smiffy-UK said:
I managed to drink all the Jura about half a bottle. My eldest who's 6 came in this morning and threw her blankie at me to wake me up at 7:45, my head was a bit swore lol, I'll go though this thread and see what other suggestions on single malt whisky other say is nice
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so many directions you could go in, it's had to know where to begin. Here are a few suggestions but it's all about trying stuff and seeing what you like. Everyone's taste is different.

If you like sweet honey style then Glenfiddich 12 or Blair Athol 12 .
For more citrus fruit Glenmorangie
and for sweet (IMO slightly sickly) sherry finish Aberlour though that is not to my taste. Aberfeldy is nicer IMO and less sherried.
For ginger and pepper spice Knockando 12
and for something light and salty Old Pulteney.
for a light peat Talisker/Highland Park, and the latter is heathery/floral which can be nice
Bunnahabhain 12 is on offer at lots of places and worth picking up if you've not tried it. It's the lightest of the Islay whiskies in terms of peat (very little if any)
then for more peat and smoke/astringence Bowmore, Caol Ila, Lagavullin, Ardberg, Laphroaig (in that order). (There are other Islay distilleries too, that is not an exhaustive list.)
For something very very smooth and almost blend-like a triple distilled Auchentoshan can be nice.
And as it's Christmas see if you can pick up some Edradour fudge. Oh that stuff is delicious!!

Others will have different suggestions, I doubt any of us have tried all there is out there, those should hopefully be in most shops/major online stores though for not too much money. One of the things I like about this thread is the new suggestions people come up with that give me something new to try.

Rather than buy big bottles up-front consider ordering taster samples. The whisky Exchange and Master Of Malt both do this and it's a much more economical way to try things side-by-side and work out where your preferences lie. You can also get samples of things that would otherwise be completely unaffordable. It's always nice to see what the richer crowd get to enjoy once in a while!
 
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Decided to treat myself to a xmas dram

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Pen66 said:
I'm looking for some recommendations for a bottle for my dad's 60th soon.

His tastes are firmly in the Speyside/Highland malts - typically Glenmorangie is his go-to, also Glendronach and Balvenie. No peat or smoke. He was also into Macallan a good few years back but they discontinued the bottle.

Can anyone recommend something with a similar profile?
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He might have already tried it, but Glenmorangie do a cracking bottle called Quinta Ruban.
 
Pen66 said:
I'm looking for some recommendations for a bottle for my dad's 60th soon.

His tastes are firmly in the Speyside/Highland malts - typically Glenmorangie is his go-to, also Glendronach and Balvenie. No peat or smoke. He was also into Macallan a good few years back but they discontinued the bottle.

Can anyone recommend something with a similar profile?
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Illgresi said:
He might have already tried it, but Glenmorangie do a cracking bottle called Quinta Ruban.
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good to see another suggestion for the QR. Do check out the tomatin if you haven't tried that one as I think you might like it.
 
I opened a sample of Cotswold distillery single malt last night. I'm not sure how it's single malt if it comes from the Cotswolds as I thought that was protected by Scotland but it tasted nice, even slightly rye-like. Closest comparison would be something like the old Scallywag (though IIRC that was a blend). Some similarities to a Nikka Coffey or a Hudson Manhattan Rye.
 
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