The OCUK Whisky (and Whiskey) review thread

My flatmate moved out recently, and left a bottle of Glenfidditch 12 behind which I've proceeded to polish off (with his permission). I've never been much of a whiskey drinker before, as past experience had largely involved JD and Coke, which is rank.

Anyway, that bottle has sparked a little bit of an interest, and I rather enjoyed being able to come home in the evening to a small dram occasionally. I was wondering if anyone else drinks whiskey, and can recommend a similarly priced bottle that would be worth trying? Sadly I've just gone back to university, so am not particularly flush. No overly flashy suggestions please :)
 
There are quite a few nice whiskies in that price range - you'll find a lot of them in the supermarket too.

I'll make a few suggestions for you to think about but basically, just go to the supermarket and pick one. I would avoid the likes of Laphroaig and Bowmore for now, until you get more used to the whisky taste - they're quite powerful tasting and not to everyone's taste. I'd also avoid supermarket own label whiskies - they're cheap for a reason.

You could try:
Glenlivet
Benriach
Aberlour (get the 12yo, not the 10yo)
Auchentoshan
Jura Superstition (not the best Jura but passable)
Ardmore
Ben Nevis
Glen Garioch Founder's Reserve
An Cnoc 12yo

All of the above should be under £30 and all perfectly acceptable whiskies. For not much more than that, you can get Balvenie Doublewood which has proved over time to be the forum favourite and recommended by many to people new to whisky.

I would wager you'll find pretty much all of the above a step up from Glenfiddich which is popular but mass produced (I call it cooking whisky). It's not a bad whisky, it's just dull. It's popular because it's cheap and well marketed.

Hope this is some help and welcome to the wonderful world of whisky. Sláinte mhath :)
 
Stan_Lite said:
It all depends on the individual and how they enjoy their whisky. I'm drinking Quarter Cask at the moment and I always drink it neat as I feel it is a well rounded whisky as it comes. If I'm drinking the standard 10yo, I tend to have a wee splash of water in it (about a teaspoon in a double - roughly 10%) as I feel it can be a little harsh without. Other people like it neat - it's all a matter of preference. There's no right and wrong, work out what you prefer and drink it as you like it.
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Not checked this thread in a while, but just saying that I'm the complete opposite. I find the 10yr is a much nicer whisky to drink than the QC, and have never needed any water in it. Different stroy with the QC, I practically need water with that, seem to find it a lot less smoother than the 10yr.

Either way, I'm still getting through Dad's Glen Garioch (that I bought him :p) faster than my own QC.
 
Stan_Lite said:
There are quite a few nice whiskies in that price range - you'll find a lot of them in the supermarket too.

I'll make a few suggestions for you to think about but basically, just go to the supermarket and pick one. I would avoid the likes of Laphroaig and Bowmore for now, until you get more used to the whisky taste - they're quite powerful tasting and not to everyone's taste. I'd also avoid supermarket own label whiskies - they're cheap for a reason.

You could try:
Glenlivet
Benriach
Aberlour (get the 12yo, not the 10yo)
Auchentoshan
Jura Superstition (not the best Jura but passable)
Ardmore
Ben Nevis
Glen Garioch Founder's Reserve
An Cnoc 12yo

All of the above should be under £30 and all perfectly acceptable whiskies. For not much more than that, you can get Balvenie Doublewood which has proved over time to be the forum favourite and recommended by many to people new to whisky.

I would wager you'll find pretty much all of the above a step up from Glenfiddich which is popular but mass produced (I call it cooking whisky). It's not a bad whisky, it's just dull. It's popular because it's cheap and well marketed.

Hope this is some help and welcome to the wonderful world of whisky. Sláinte mhath :)
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Thanks for the detailed post, I'll take a wander around a supermarket this evening and see what I can find!
 
Stan_Lite said:
I'd also avoid supermarket own label whiskies - they're cheap for a reason.
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I've no idea on other regions but supermarket Islays tend to be pretty good, or at least as good as the distilleries usual products. They tend to be either Bowmore (Sainsburys) or Coal Ila (Tesco), I've not tried any of the other own brands though.
 
Gribs said:
I've no idea on other regions but supermarket Islays tend to be pretty good, or at least as good as the distilleries usual products. They tend to be either Bowmore (Sainsburys) or Coal Ila (Tesco), I've not tried any of the other own brands though.
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supermarket Islays are usually a good buy because of the limited distilleries on the island and they are all of decent quality

if they brand a speyside it could be from any one of many,an islay you know where you stand, I think the majority come from the 2 largest producers you have listed though
 
Went with the 12 year old Glenlivet, as Sainsbury's are dong a half bottle for £15 at the moment. Seemed a good way to try it. First impressions are that it's slightly more almond-ey than the Glenfidditch, and that the aftertaste is more pleasant.
 
Just getting into whisky as a drink. Tried the glenrothes (above) over christmas and polished it off in about 4 days, though I found it a bit too strong towards the end and started having it with a bit of ice. Currently trying Jura, which is on special offer for the 350ml bottle in Tescos. Quite enjoying it so far. Cannot really work out the tastes at the moment. Makes a nice change to beer or cups of tea though.
 
The slightly peated jura? if so grab some laphroig, i am a whisky noob but if you are enjoying a peated whisky then laphroiag is a must try, has a smooth smoky flavor, is strong but not imposing and is by far my absolute favorite drink... period.

Fair warning, i have not found a tipple under it that even comes close to it's flavor but i am a fledgling so the journey is still fresh!
 
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I thought Jura was unpeated, but it's the 10yr one. What is the difference between peated/unpeated anyway? I guess I'll try both anyway.

edit: seems its peated, my mistake.
 
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toasteh said:
Anyone rate the glen moray classic (no age statement) or should I splash out on the balvenie or maybe a glenlivet instead?
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I've got a bottle of the Glen Moray Classic that was given to me for a PC repair job I done - taste's quite nice actually and it's still a single malt. :)

Have to admit the Balvenie is a lovely whisky too, so if you're planning on splashing out then that would be my recommendation. ;)
 
Done a bit of searching and asda look to have the best prices atm, so I'll be off to decided between balvenie and ol' reliable glenfiddich next week :D

Edit: glenfiddich 12 and glenlivet 12 both £25, balvenie is £28
 
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Finally got a bottle of this, lol.

Had to go to Peterborough Waitrose to get some, which is about 20 miles away. Worth it though, lol.
 
Kanifee said:
The slightly peated jura? if so grab some laphroig, i am a whisky noob but if you are enjoying a peated whisky then laphroiag is a must try, has a smooth smoky flavor, is strong but not imposing and is by far my absolute favorite drink... period.

Fair warning, i have not found a tipple under it that even comes close to it's flavor but i am a fledgling so the journey is still fresh!
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I recently decided to try some Whisky and decided to skip the usual stuff you can buy in every store. The first thing I tried was Green Spot which is an Irish Whisky that's been triple distilled in a single pot still. It seems like more of a spicy/fruity whisky which I liked.

A colleague at work recommended the Laphroaig so I bought some today since there was some at the big Tesco near me. I am not a fan :P

The smell almost seemed chemical to me as did the taste :/ I don't mind smoky foods but I can't say I've had too many smoky drinks so I'm not 100% sure but I guess it's that strong peaty taste that I hate lol

I couldn't finish my first glass and the taste stuck around for a while so I guess my colleague will get a cheap bottle :P
 
Phal said:
I recently decided to try some Whisky and decided to skip the usual stuff you can buy in every store. The first thing I tried was Green Spot which is an Irish Whisky that's been triple distilled in a single pot still. It seems like more of a spicy/fruity whisky which I liked.

A colleague at work recommended the Laphroaig so I bought some today since there was some at the big Tesco near me. I am not a fan :P

The smell almost seemed chemical to me as did the taste :/ I don't mind smoky foods but I can't say I've had too many smoky drinks so I'm not 100% sure but I guess it's that strong peaty taste that I hate lol

I couldn't finish my first glass and the taste stuck around for a while so I guess my colleague will get a cheap bottle :P
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Thats a real shame, more so I don't live close to you :D but about you not liking the whisky too. Laphroaig is definitely acquired taste but i absolutely love the stuff, plenty more bottles on the shelf though
 
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