Scotch

[turpin]

Steve...

noo ya hit upon a topic ai ken an awfy lot aboot...

ai cuid gie ya a hale thesis oan this yin...

but tae make it short an sweet...

1- if ya drink yur JD wi' a mixer noo... then start wi' a blended scotch like Groose arr J Walker... an mix it wi' soda, 7up, coke, ginger ale, wit e'er ya want...

drink this fur twa months arr sae... makin the scotch taste a bit stronger as time gaes oan... this will develop yur taste fur scotch...

then ya will bae ready tae move tae single malt...

2- if ya drink JD neat (straicht) noo- then skip the blends an gae straight fur single malt...

start wi' Glenfiddich arr Glenlivet... baith arr frae the speyside area an are light an easy drinkin malts... baith arr aged in ex-bourbon casks...

ya can add water arr soda water but NEVER add ice... it changes the molecular structure o' the malt an changes the flavour... it shuid bae cool room temp...

use a cool (no cold) tulip shaped glass (no a rocks glass).... nose it (smell it) a lot while you sip it... an SIP it- dinnae gulp it.... yur nose is maire important than yur tastebuds when it comes tae malt whisky... hae a glass o ice water oan the side... this will help ya cool off and refresh yur mooth between sips...

drink this fur a month arr sae... then luek fur maire complicated flavoured malts... like the yins that hae been aged in sherry casks...Macallan, Glenfarclas, Glenmorangie (rhymes with 'orangey')..

try a few o these fur a couple months arr sae...

save the peaty smoky malts tae the last.... they arr the maist difficult fur maist folk tae get used tae... Laphroiag, Lagavulin, Ardbeg.....

then luek fur a' the hundreds o' other malt expressions oot there... a single distillery can make 100 bottles that a' taste different... it is a wonderful world fur your senses.....

slainte mhath!

What he said!

Me, I liked it straight pretty much from the start. But you can't get a better tutotial than from P1M.

[David Thornton]

Good job P1M, that's exactly where I was going but I tried to be brief.

By the way, can you swing me an invite to a day os shooting? Stalking or rough shooting?

David

[Randy]

Whats wrong with Jack Daniels

Nothing, though its been changed it since I was a young man.

[Cawdorian]

I agree that Famous Grouse is a good starting point, It is my "everyday" Scotch, Dewar's has a very good 12 year old blended Scotch. Glenlivet 12 and Glenfiddich 12 are both very palatable single malts, I like both of them. These are all good starting points.

Now about this "peaty" flavor, can someone describe the "peaty" taste for us? I have never been able to isolate it.

[Joe Gondek]

I,ve been enjoying Scotch since 1969, but I have been a fan of Irish Whiskey for the last 15 years
All the flavor of Scotch without the bite. Bush Mills is favorite

[GlassMan]

Personally I think a great Scotch to begin with, if you have the budget, is Balvenie 12 year old Double Casked. Because of the use of two different types of barrels (one of them from sherry) it has a more moderated flavour than many other Scotches.

[Kilted KT]

Once you get your taste for it, give Oban and Dalwhinie a try, both excellent.

Oh, P1M, you forgot a step in yer "how to learn to drink scotch" tutorial:

"Once you've got a good sense of what you like and don't like in a scotch, head up to Ferintosh an' have a dram or two of the good stuff with Robertson. he will surely find a malt you've not had."

[Colin]

What he said!

Me, I liked it straight pretty much from the start. But you can't get a better tutotial than from P1M.

The thing with drinking it straight all the time, is that with some of the stronger scotch the alcohol content can burn your taste buds off. The point of the water is to dilute the alcohol not the flavour. I could be off on this, but this is what they have promoted at the tastings I have been too.

As for a starter Scotch, I would say Glenlivet 12 year (I can't stand Glenfiddich 12 yr personally). It's kind of the run of the mill scotch that almost everyone carries. Stay away from the Ballatines, it's horrid. For a bit more bang for your buck, check out the 3 main varities offered by McClellands. McClelland's is owned by Morrison Bowmore Distillers, which is in turn owned by Suntory of Japan. The three McClelland's bottlings are, in fact, 5-year-old releases of the three Morrison Bowmore distilleries: Lowland (Auchentoshan), Highland (Glen Garioch), and Islay (Bowmore). This will give you a good intro into the different regions and the different tastes for relatively cheap. When you have tried all those, try the Bowmore cask strength

Here's a good site: http://www.maltwhiskey.com/default3.htm

[Panache]

Personally I think a great Scotch to begin with, if you have the budget, is Balvenie 12 year old Double Casked. Because of the use of two different types of barrels (one of them from sherry) it has a more moderated flavour than many other Scotches.

The Balvenie Doublewood is my single malt scotch of choice

I also agree with Joe Gondek about Bushmills.

For bourbon, the only one I could imagine drinking straight would be Maker's Mark.

Cheers


(By the by, why is this thread here and not at The Pub? :confused: )

[Andrew Green]

If you are digging for more info on Scotch....it'd be hard to go wrong with this little book:
The Single Malt Whisky Companion. Isbn:0-517-22532-8.
Not only does this give a little history, tasting tips...it also is a nice directory of various distilleries...so it's great if you want to search out a whisky you haven't tried before. It also gives tasting notes on the various makes, and bottlings.

To me, Bowmore makes a fine everyday single malt... it isn't too edxpensive, and tastes great. Not the high end Bowmore... Bowmore Legend.