The OCUK Whisky (and Whiskey) review thread

delta0 said:
Picked up a bottle of Bowmore 15 while in Edinburgh. Excellent whisky. A bit of smoke and peat but not as heavy as Ardbeg (a favourite of mine). Really recommend it.
Click to expand...


Yes it's not bad. If you enjoy the bm 15 try a sherried caol ila, a talisker distillers, or an Oban distillers.
 
Got given my secret Santa prezzie from last Christmas - Aberlour 12 yo Sherry and American oak caskes. speyside.

Not bad, smooth but all I can taste is American oak. Needs a good 5 more years in the bottle I think.
 
NickK said:
Got given my secret Santa prezzie from last Christmas - Aberlour 12 yo Sherry and American oak caskes. speyside.

Not bad, smooth but all I can taste is American oak. Needs a good 5 more years in the bottle I think.
Click to expand...
It won't change much in the bottle, no matter how long you leave it. That's not to say it won't change at all, but it is typically pretty subtle and usually happens when there is more air in the bottle. If it is overly oaked though that is very unlikely to be changed over time.
 
Blackvault said:
Do you mean, 5 more years in the barrel?
Click to expand...

Yep, it seems it needs longer to mellow out a little. A couple of drinks more and it’s definitely smooth with a aftertaste of oak. Perhaps a little water and it could mellow it. Can’t taste the Sherry barrels. Just needs that little mellowing to ease between the tastes, if you get my meaning.
 
NickK said:
Yep, it seems it needs longer to mellow out a little. A couple of drinks more and it’s definitely smooth with a aftertaste of oak. Perhaps a little water and it could mellow it. Can’t taste the Sherry barrels. Just needs that little mellowing to ease between the tastes, if you get my meaning.
Click to expand...
If it already tastes too oaky then seems a bit strange to say 5 more years in an oak barrel would help.
 
Could anyone suggest a smooth whisky, Scottish preferably but anything really as long as it is a smooth one and not to 'smoky' I guess you calling them ? I'm a total newbie when it coming to Whisky so though I ask for some suggestions. Nothing to unusual though as it might be in the shop here in Sweden.

Looking forward to see some suggestions hopefully ! :D
 
First tip, don't the word 'smooth' for whisky :mad:

If you are after easy drinking golden liquid, go for bourbon. The world of single malt scotch whisky is about distinctive flavours and a wide array of them. Not easy liquid to knock back.

</>gatekeeping

That said, I would suggest Balvenie 12yr Doublewood as a friendly introduction to a beginner. Good luck!
 
dl8860 said:
If it already tastes too oaky then seems a bit strange to say 5 more years in an oak barrel would help.
Click to expand...

Not sure of the fix but I found with beer, simply removing then leaving to continue the ferment. Now whiskies seem to be aged at ABV or stronger after distilling, so there’s nothing to ferment.. but things do get mellower - as the barrel doesn’t have an endless reserve of flavour to add. Question is would it change while in the barrel. Probably not. Perhaps fermentation could be aged then distilled; allowing time to mellow *shrug*.
 
NickK said:
Not sure of the fix but I found with beer, simply removing then leaving to continue the ferment. Now whiskies seem to be aged at ABV or stronger after distilling, so there’s nothing to ferment.. but things do get mellower - as the barrel doesn’t have an endless reserve of flavour to add. Question is would it change while in the barrel. Probably not. Perhaps fermentation could be aged then distilled; allowing time to mellow *shrug*.
Click to expand...
Whiskies are aged for at least 3 years usually at somewhere between 55 and 65% abv.

It's true that with more time in the barrel you can get a more mellow (or balanced is perhaps a better term) taste, but that does depend on both the spirit itself and the size and type (sherry cask or bourbon, first fill or refill or virgin oak etc.).

I don't really get what you're saying at all with your last 3 sentences.

But what I would say is that if the flavour is overly oaky to your taste, the solution is a different type of barrel, rather than more time in the same barrel that imparted too much oaky taste to start with.
 
dl8860 said:
First tip, don't the word 'smooth' for whisky :mad:

If you are after easy drinking golden liquid, go for bourbon. The world of single malt scotch whisky is about distinctive flavours and a wide array of them. Not easy liquid to knock back.

</>gatekeeping

That said, I would suggest Balvenie 12yr Doublewood as a friendly introduction to a beginner. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thank you for the suggestion, I be buying it and try it out. :)

Sorry that I made you so upset about using 'smooth'. :(

:p
 
Don't listen to him. Smooth doesn't mean easy to down-in-one. It can mean a lot of things.. triple distilled, less alcohol burn, less sharp flavours, bigger mouthfeel. It's a perfectly valid descriptor, as is pretty much anything you want to use.

I find most Speysiders smoother than bourbon tbh..
 
dl8860 said:
That said, I would suggest Balvenie 12yr Doublewood as a friendly introduction to a beginner. Good luck!
Click to expand...
A very good single malt suggestion. I'd also suggest Glenmorangie 10 for his criteria.

Blends are typically designed to be more friendly than single malts too, so maybe Chivas 12. A very accessible option. Hibiki Harmony is likely well matched too, but substantially more expensive for a first go.
 
Some Paul John whiskies recently reduced on Amazon. I bought the Edited for £33ish. Arrived today and had a dram or two. Rated it 8/10 at a whisky festival a few years back and I'd give it the same today. Very good for the price.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom