Single Malts.

JustRidecp

BigG67 wrote:

Don't knock adding water....

I'm originally from deepest darkest Fife and virtually everyone drinks their malt with water. Every pub has either a water jug or a tap on the bar for it. Traditionalists say you should only do it with cask strength malts but more often than not I always add a wee splash to mine.

Lagavulin

I like Lagavulin and Royal Lochnagar. Laphroaig and Talisker are a real treat too.

strofiwimple

Buckfast with a splash of irn bru is my favourite.

dangerousjules

i did a two year wines and spirits course 10 years ago, i remeber choking on a 20 year old royal loch nagar(hope i got the spelling right) my tutor at the time said it was one of the most exspensive whiskys around...wasted on me since i specialised in champagne.

Fixed Wheelnut

stevie dee wrote:

what's so wrong wit the Irish?

Nothing at all The Black Bush is very nice

custom-freak

i have a bit of a soft spot for the speysides, planning a trip up there at some point, favorite has to be knockando. at the moment though i am enjoying a 12 yr old suntory single malt (from the hakushu distillery) which is very nice, didn't buy it myself though was a present from a marte who asked me what i'd like and i suggested another suntory (the 25 quid one you can get in the supermarkets) but he went out and bought me the much rarer one at 45 quid seemed rude not to be grateful, crack open the bottle and share it round, don't know what i'll do when it's finished though (except start on the knockando my fiance bought me as an anniversry present) i havenm't bought a bottle for two years and am stll to run out.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Cf

ps what happened to the spellchecker?

Rhythm Thief

I like the Islays as a rule, especially Caol Ila and Ardbeg. Just bought a bottle of 12 YO Ardbeg for £18 from the corner shop here in Wednesbury! They've got Highland Park (another of my favourites) for the same price.
Last time I came through duty free I bought a bottle of 7 YO Bruichladdich. Very nice indeed. I've also got cask strength Aberlour and Glenmorangie, but as others have said they do need a little water.

Tourist Tony

Highland Park 12yo, and Glen Dronach sherry-oaked.

Clever Pun

Talisker is nice.. good heavy smokey style, but I think Macallen is my favourite at present...

Has anyone tried the fine oak as opposed to the sherry cask stuff.. still is a damn fine dram

Oh yes has anyone tried the Organic single malt available in Odbins... I keep forgetting the name but it really is rather pleasant...


For you single malt drinkers in London... check this out
http://www.smws.co.uk
Niiice

homercles

I was taught that you should have a small sip to try the flavour in its natural state then add a dash of water to open up the lighter flavours in the drink.

Just returned from a long weekend in Scotland where I managed to jam in a visit to the Fettercairn distillery. A very good single malt for beginners, being not too hairy or overpowering. Even my aunt enjoyed it. Saying that, hard to find anywhere outside of specialist whisky dealers but sure the t'internet can help.

Gotta say, that Dalwhinnie 15 is great stuff.

JustRidecp

homercles wrote:

I was taught that you should have a small sip to try the flavour in its natural state then add a dash of water to open up the lighter flavours in the drink.

Just returned from a long weekend in Scotland where I managed to jam in a visit to the Fettercairn distillery. A very good single malt for beginners, being not too hairy or overpowering. Even my aunt enjoyed it. Saying that, hard to find anywhere outside of specialist whisky dealers but sure the t'internet can help.

Gotta say, that Dalwhinnie 15 is great stuff.

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.co.uk/

gpx001

Was in Speyside a month ago, visiting a few of the distilleries.

I like smokey, peaty malts in the Winter (Laphriog and Tobermoray) and lighter sherry casked Speysiders the rest of the year (Aberlour and Glen Grant being my present faves). If you want to do a distillery tour I can recommend the Aberlour, it's a bit more expensive than others, but you do get to taste alot of different types - including the raw spirit, which is errm interesting!

Jas

passout

Not single Malt but you can't go wrong with Famous Grouse. If I'm honest I enjoy it almost as much as a good single Malt.

pugwashcp

Blimey, trying to nail down a fave malt is like trying to name my favourite song....both are dependant on my mood. Some days a drop of Glenmorangie or Glengoyne does the job and then there are others where only an Islay malt will do. Caol Ila and Lagavulin are the prefered tipples at the moment.

I've also picked up a bottle of Penderyn and even though it's welsh I have to say it's a lovely drink.

Mrs Pugwash is strictly a Speyside malts woman with an occasional Glayva thrown in when the mood takes.

Rhythm Thief

Anyone else tried Edradour? From the smallest distillery in Scotland. Well worth a visit, if you're near Pitlochry.

Clever Pun

Rhythm Thief wrote:

Anyone else tried Edradour? From the smallest distillery in Scotland. Well worth a visit, if you're near Pitlochry.

yes I got a bottle of the stuff for my birthday a while back... not too shabby


And has how to drink it... imo
Have a sip straight then add a splash of filtered water as it smooths and helps bring the flavours out...

suze

Myself and Mr Suze seem to have a habit of calling in at Edradour every time we pass....building quit a collection. Spent some silly money ther last time.

My favourites at the moment are the Islays.....specially the Ardbegs.......Has anyone tried "Smokehead" collected a bottle in Edinburgh a few weeks ago.....It's very obviously an Islay...like a young Ardbeg.....boisterous, but with that familiar smokey taste....about £18

nicklouse

just picked up a Lagavulin 16 to try out.

pneumatic

Highland Park is indeed a fine whisky, but so is the "other" Orkney malt: Scapa (nice botlle, too, if you are descended from Vikings and feeling nostalgic).

Talking of labels, last year I bought a bottle of Jura with a "novelty" 1984 label (George Orwell lived there once) to take to a reunion of people I lived with in 1984 in France. Bought it for the label, but it turned out to be a stupendously pleasing dram.

Best day's whisky drinking I ever had was when a mate turned up at our house in South Devon with a pile of smoked turkey legs, some crusty bread and a bottle of Ardbeg. What an afternoon that was! Polished off the lot between three of us.

Worst whisky experience was on my birthday in Inverness a few years back. I was in a teuchter folky bar place and they had about 300 bottles of malt behind the bar. Very late in the evening when it was my round I wove up to the bar, ordered a half pint of lager, a glass of house red and a randomly selected malt from the emporium. It might have been date stamped with the year of my birth or I just liked the name, can't remember. Anyway, it was only when the devious barsteward had poured it out, that he declared that my round was going to cost 28 quid, 25 or which was for the dram. Too sozzed to appreciate it. Totally gutted.

Cycled around the Black Isle the next day with a hangover in a temperature of minus 5, snow on the ground, and felt even that wasn't enough punishment for my stupidity.

mandie

Definatly no such thing as a bad single malt, but my current favorite is Caol Isla 12 year old which being a contrary type I actually prefer to the 18 year old. I think it is because it has just a hint of roughness that is smoothed out by the extra six years in the cask.

Another malt that I am very fond of is the Oban, which no one seems to have mentioned.

pipeman

jura superstition!! or has someone mentioned it?????

pipeman

jonesy124 wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

formerlyknownasbonj wrote:

nowt wrong wi' tesco value blended. £6.99.

thats for students and skinflints.

Dont knock own brands - I hear that Waitrose do a good single malt (at £16.99 not quite as cheap as tesco!)

morrisons do a grand selection of own brands too

scapaslow

Highland Park

JustRidecp

My partner just brought me back a bottle of Highland Park 18 from duty free. Pure. Dead. Brilliant.

Richrd2205

pipeman wrote:

jura superstition!! or has someone mentioned it?????

This is one of my favourites, but to be fair, it's a blend...
http://www.isleofjura.com/whisky/range/ ... tentid=228
I'm not a fan of the Islay whiskys, but like some flavour, so I rather like Jura, Dalwhinnie, Highland Park etc.
Having an english accent & asking for any of these in a Glasgow whiskey pub is to be avoided tho :oops:

pipeman

well bugger me,,i never knew it was a blend!!!!! :shock: still good tho,,,at the moment i'm on speyside,,glen moray,,,,,,not bad!!!

acorn_user

Mmm Suntory. Yes, fine times indeed. Virginia lightning anyone?

I like Aberlour, Balvenie 12 and Glenfarclas best. But I can no longer afford them since moving. Bourbons for me now. I like Jim Beam straight rye best.

JustRidecp

There is no reason to be snobby about blends. Master Blenders can make some phenomenal, one off blended whiskeys which are both highly expensive and highly exclusive.

BTW, I'm not talking about grants, bells etc.

Also, superstition isn't a blend. Blends take different whiskies from a number of distillaries and blend them together. Superstition combines two age whiskies from the Jura distillary, one heavily peaty and one lighter. Its like mixing a 10 and a 16 year old of the same single malt. Its the same whiskey, just spend different lengths of time in a cask. Also, its branded as single malt whiskey.

Richrd2205. If you like superstition, have you tried Bunnahabhain? Its an Islay malt but probably the most accessible. Very fine, especially if you can get a taste of an 18yr. Smooth as you like!

john ponting

Rhythm Thief wrote:

Anyone else tried Edradour? From the smallest distillery in Scotland. Well worth a visit, if you're near Pitlochry.

Friends lived in Edradour Farmhouse until 18 months ago. A short dog walk over the hill from the distillery (generally towards the A9 rather than the A924). I first sampled the brew on a lovely sunny evening sitting in their paddock watching the goats mow the grass.

cycologist

[quote="john ponting I first sampled the brew on a lovely sunny evening sitting in their paddock watching the goats mow the grass.[/quote

Have been thinking of getting one of those "goat mowers" for a while. Do you think Wiggle will have them or should I try my LGS