NFT: Scotch revisited

And revisited, And revisited, And revisited, And revisited,

treated myself to a bottle of old pulteney 21yr for the holidays. Along with a bottle of Four Roses single barrel LE 2014. After tomorrow, I'll be drunk for about a week straight. Can't wait :)

just had Glenmorangie 10 as i've never had it before. Was surprised at how smooth it was for a 10 year, read up on it and said the 12 year wasn't as good which was a bit strange.

May pick up a bottle for the holidays since its on the cheaper side but definitely doesn't taste cheap.

I found I liked the Macallan 12 better than the 15, although neither comes close to the 18.

In comment 12041074 Matt M. said:

Quote:

I found I liked the Macallan 12 better than the 15, although neither comes close to the 18.

Good call. Was going to get the 15 for my stepfather but I think i read the same thing somewhere before. Would love to try the 18 one day, heard its fantastic.

Scotch
Great line to open the scene - ( New Window )

I keep Balveine 12 in one of my office decanters.

It's a very nice scotch, but not spectacular, imo. It's unpeated, so it won't attract the Islay fans. It's a little on the sweet side. As the link shows, opinions are all over the lot on this one.
Link - ( New Window )

I don't care for so much. It tastes a little too fruity and "new" for my taste. Prefer the Quinta Roban, which is finished in port wood casks. And one of the world's best "dessert" scotches is the Nectar D'or, finished in Sauternes casks so it is quite sweet and truly for dessert only. Fun, though.

I picked up a bottle of Laphroaig 25 last night ... Merry X-mas to me!

In comment 12041058 BillT said:

Quote:

And revisited, And revisited, And revisited, And revisited,

Yes indeed!!!!

any Japanese scotches?

I've read the Japanese are making Scotch better than the Scots, which seems sightly unnatural and even a little disturbing, but good scotch is good scotch.

typically. It's more modern tasting, whereas Scotch tastes old world. If that makes any sense.

I enjoy Hakushu and Yamazaki. Beware Hibiki ...

so it's called Japanese whisky, not Japanese scotch?

that makes more sense and is less troublesome for me.

Scotch is whisky made in Scotland. Aye, lads!

just as Champagne has to be from the Champagne district of France, and Sauternes has to be from Sauternes. Duh.

JonC, the 25 gets some of the best review on this site. Ever.
Link - ( New Window )

trying to steal market share, and many people do find it more appealing than Scotch.

please report back on the bottle, sounds amazing.

How much did it run ya?

Thank you for the link, will read this evening.

Lyle, check Astor Wines website. doh.

In comment 12041368 pjcas18 said:

Quote:

any Japanese scotches? I've read the Japanese are making Scotch better than the Scots, which seems sightly unnatural and even a little disturbing, but good scotch is good scotch.

I've had the Yamazaki, 12 year old, and it's great. Definitely compares favorably with the $50-$70 single malt scotches.

to Japanese Whiskey?

still a newbie, but definitely getting nice exposure to about 6 or 7 different decent scotches over the past couple months.

In comment 12041426 TheBigBlueOne said:

Quote:

to Japanese Whiskey?

Astor Wines in NYC has 10-15 of them.

.

I picked up the Caol Ila 15, which is unpeated. Looking forward to a try.

Anyone try Auchentoshan?

n rotation from Japan at the present is Yamazaki 12 and 18, Hibiki (a smooth blend) and Hakushu 12. I don't get the peaty Islay vibe from any in particular but I find if I'm pouring for friends that are looking for smoothness over complexity its a good bet. In terms of Scotch I return over and over again to Auchentoshen and Lagavulin.

I've been trying to resist traveling into Manhattan to get a taste of the Japanese Whiskey. But it's been two years since I learned of its existence. Time to stop being stubborn.

The last Scotch I had was Chivas Regal 18, and that was because they were doing samples at the liquor store. Damn that was good. Had a bit of a fruity flavor, not overly sweet, quite a refreshing taste.

In comment 12041463 JonC said:

Quote:

I picked up the Caol Ila 15, which is unpeated. Looking forward to a try. Anyone try Auchentoshan?

Jon...
the 12 year old auchentoshan is a spectacular value IMO and the 18 year old is probably my favorite Scotch at the moment. If only Costco would carry it! Cheers

How you been, G?! Thanks for the info, will try both.

Changed my drinking life. I always said I don't care for scotch when asked. I had a few glasses from time to time and thought it was just fancy overpriced gasoline. The A 3 wood changed my whole perspective about scotch. Yeah, it was that good.

Chivas 18 is really quite good for the price, and is nothing like the Chivas 12, which sucks. Not for the Peaty crowd--no smoke or peat, but very rich and complex, as good as JW Blue at less than half the price.

the Johnny Gold (pre Gold Label or whatever it's called) and now the Platinum to the Blue.

Not sure why.

In comment 12041629 manh george said:

Quote:

Chivas 18 is really quite good for the price, and is nothing like the Chivas 12, which sucks. Not for the Peaty crowd--no smoke or peat, but very rich and complex, as good as JW Blue at less than half the price.

Manh, I feel like whenever people talk about Blue, there is more reverence for it's price than for its taste. Never really hear anyone talk about how good Blue is, just the price so it must be good. You are the closest I've gotten to a review of Blue other than ralfy on youtube.

relative to Scotch. I enjoy both and though it is easy to give them equivalence as malt whiskeys, to me they are different beasts. Wheras Scotch has a distinctive and regional flavor based on the area in which it was distilled (Islay, Speyside, Highland etc), Japanese malts are defined more by a distilling and barrel aging process rather than the regional distinctiveness. Don't get me wrong, I adore both scotch and the japanese malts but I find the japanese malts to be more along the lines of the scotches with heavy barrel treatments (think Nectar D'or and double wood). The ones I have at home are Hibiki 12 and 18, Nikka and Yamakazi. If folks are looking for an american whiskey that would be a good twist for the malt lover, Lock, Stock and Barrel rye would be a good addition to the rotation.

.

To me, it tastes too "green." When I went to Whiskeyfest a couple of years ago, I talked to a guy at the Glenmorangie table, and he agreed with me, but noted that a lot of people consider it a bargain.

Astor Wine and Spirits gives good reviews to the Glenmorangie at $35, the AnCnoc 12 year at $40, and the Old Pultney 12 year at $42. Those are probably 3 of the very best low-priced single malts. Their review of the AnCnoc:

Quote:

Formally known as “Knockdhu”, AnCnoc is a Highland single malt distillery. Loving malts from the Highlands, we expected to enjoy this. What we didn’t expect was the complexity + relative low price. Here are a few words we jotted down while tasting this: whipped cream, citrus, cereal, caramel, dried fruit, salt, cinnamon. Getting thirsty yet?

And here is the Old Pultney:

Quote:

From the coastal town of Wick in the northern highlands comes a whisky that should be in every whisky collection. Loaded with citrus notes, particularly grapefruits and a touch of vanilla. The finish is a breath of Scotland with that salty, seaside air that has been incorporated into the whisky.

Business must be very good. I can't find the 25 year under around $450. $500 at Astor.

Just picked up pulteney 12 and a special sheildaig 18 (43.00)

the package stores have Glenmorangie in the gift boxes now near me for $40 and you get a couple glasses. I do like it and yes, I'm a bit of a rookie at scotches.

Glenmorangie with the glasses is a good deal. Took advantage of that last month.

yep

In comment 12043466 Fish said:

Quote:

Glenmorangie with the glasses is a good deal. Took advantage of that last month.

I saw that too and got one...But today we bought the Balvenie 15 Yo single cask. First time trying this one, I usually grab the Doublewood.

Any tips or tricks with this?

The ice ball seems to break pretty quickly

I am drinking some Balvenie 17 Double Wood tonight. It's definitely hitting the spot and one of my favorite Speyside scotches.

a bottle of Oban 14. Any good?

In comment 12045217 Chris in Philly said:

Quote:

a bottle of Oban 14. Any good?

Very solid, probably around $60 a bottle - a little fruitier on the finish than I like, but should work for you:)

and usually have a bottle of it in the cabinet. It is an interesting scotch in that it is smokey and sweet. It isnt a peaty scotch but there is definitely a gentle smokiness to it while still tasting a sweetness to it. It's a good scotch for those that want to easily move into an Islay peaty type.

In comment 12045225 Dillon in Va said:

Quote:

and usually have a bottle of it in the cabinet. It is an interesting scotch in that it is smokey and sweet. It isnt a peaty scotch but there is definitely a gentle smokiness to it while still tasting a sweetness to it. It's a good scotch for those that want to easily move into an Islay peaty type.

Thanks. I'll crack it open next week...

Haig, grain scotch. Started off hard but it was a smooth finish that lingered nicely. Not very peaty though (which I prefer)