scotch - Page 5

Mat Sklansky · #41 09-20-2005, 01:30 AM

Try Dalwhinnie. It's sorta expensive, but the taste is unique, even to an uneducated palate such as mine. There's a distinctive honey tasting undertone.

Ray Zee · #42 09-20-2005, 02:43 AM

i like the balvenie 12 or 15 year stuff the best. even better than jw blue as that is a little too sharp for me. scotch takes a long time to develop the taste for it so its hard to determine what you like till you have had a few bottles over time.
overall there are alot of 20 buck bottles that are just fine. being snooty about drinking is worse than being snooty about money.

smokingrobot · #43 09-20-2005, 02:46 AM

scotch and water really diminishes the flavor or a good scotch.

if you really want to appreciate it, leave out the water. if you must, maybe a little ice.

muck_nutz · #44 09-27-2005, 05:16 AM

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scotch takes a long time to develop the taste for it so its hard to determine what you like till you have had a few bottles over time.

[/ QUOTE ]

The scotch malt whisky society has tastings from time to time in various cities. Thats a good way to get a broad feel. If you find you like a certain type/region stick to that region until you feel you want to branch out. No need to thrash around. Personally I like scotch from Islay. Sure the 30 year Laphroig is unique, but for me its the 15 year thats the best. And its not silly expensive like the 30 year or some of the less accessible Islays.

Peter Jackson has several good guides to scotch and his level of pretense isn't too bad.

muck_nutz · #45 09-27-2005, 05:24 AM

[ QUOTE ]
scotch and water really diminishes the flavor or a good scotch.

if you really want to appreciate it, leave out the water. if you must, maybe a little ice.

[/ QUOTE ]

This depends. For single malts (which are really blends of malts from multiple years and water from the same distillary) I typically don't mix. For blends I often mix.

For single cask (*not* blended with other from the same or other distillerys or with water) the taste often changes (opens up) radically if you put in a *small* amount of water. Experiment a bit with these. Get a bottle of single cask malt (maybe from the smws), smell it, taste it. Then add a few drops of water and smell and taste it again. In my limited experience the taste will open up with very little water.