Whisky reccomendation...

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

As for Irish I prefer Middelton; As I am down to the last two bottles of my last case, that's right, CASE, of Knockandhu 25 year old, I will probably switch back to something I can afford. (Several years ago I walked into a liquor store in Orange County, California, that was having some sort of "problem" as there was a marshal sitting next to the cash register and after each sale was rung up, he took charge of the cash. Anyhow, I handed the cashier a bottle of Kockandhu 25 and she rang up $11.50. At that point I asked how much they had [four cases unopened plus what was on the shelves] and I bought it all.) Back on point: Famous Grouse is probably my favorite blend-- mine and the Queen. Singles, aside from my ill-gotten gains, would probably be The MacAllen and the Glenlivit (especially the older vintages). Scotch is really a matter of how "you" taste the spirit. Some might find a whisky too astringent, while others would like its "spicy" flavour. The only thing you can do is taste a whisky and decide if you like it, rather than liking the cache of being seen to drink that brand.

[puffer]

Ok, I ran over to the Hi-Time Wine Cellar after school, and asked them about shipping; they said they can ship to most of the U.S. There is a state that they can't ship to, but I can't remember which one (maybe Georgia?).

This place is huge, like a "Liquor Barn", except with a better, higher-end selection. They bill themselves as the "largest retail wine cellar in the west," but they have tons of spirits as well, after all, they are pretty much THE local wine and liquor supplier to go to for Newport Beach. If you can't find something you're looking for, it's worth checking with them.
http://www.hitimewine.com

Here's the link to the first of 13 pages of scotch. (I think that means they have over 350 entries for scotch - different sizes and ages, etc.)
http://www.hitimewine.com/iStar.asp?a=3&dept=79

I just checked their site.
They list ONLY 31 STATES THET CAN SHIP TO My state WA is NOT one of them

Puffer

[Drillagent]

My father loves Johnnie Walker Black, and that's where I started. I bought a small bottle of Blue Label and found it rather harsh. I never really got into the single malts until I went to a tasting at Grandfather Mountain. There, I learned about the different regions, and the different tastes. Now in my cabinet I have Bowmore, Glenmorangie Lasanta, Johnnie Walker, Clan MacGregor (I'm a MacGregor anyway) and of course the obligatory bottle of Military Special from the Class 6 (very nasty stuff). I am working my way up to having at least one bottle from each region. However, the Class 6 at Ft Lee and Ft Belvoir are limited in their selection. My next purchase will hopefully be a nice bottle of Craggenmore. I did find a bottle of Macallum Cask strength at Ft Belvoir. Has anyone tried that? How much water should you add? Also, is it just me or have there been a lot of brands that have been finishing in either sherry or port wine casks. I never noticed them before, but now it's hard to find a good single barrel. Don't get me wrong, I love the Lasanta, but now everyone seems to be imitating each other. I also read that American Oak barrels are becoming scarce. Could that contribute to the use of other types of barrels?

[Jock Scot]

Drillagent.

May I give you a wee tip and I apologize if you already know this, but if you really must put water in your whisky(particularly a single malt) then do not get the water from the tap.

[thanmuwa]

Perhaps they DO NOT conceder the "Irish whiskies" worthy of mention. ??

Puffer

Ah, how soon the son forgets the father

[thanmuwa]

"...But, I think most people prefer Single Malt Whisky and Johnnie Walked is a blended Whisky."

We're going to have to agree to disagree here. Take 100 social drinkers and offer them a single-malt and see what happens. Most folks haven't acquired the taste.

Here's a nice short Whisky 101 of blended whiskys, which is a nice way to start out, from the good folks at Forbes. It runs the gamut, from Famous Grouse at about $20 a bottle to really, really expensive stuff.

http://www.forbes.com/2005/02/16/cx_np_0216feat_ls.html

You are both right, though the proviso "amongst whisky drinkers" needed to be added to the first statement.

Plus, a single malt is a blend with the additional restriction that all the whiskies to be blended must come from the same distillery and malting. As every barrel tastes different, unless you are drinking a single cask whisky, the character of even a single malt owes a debt to the art of the master blender.

Non-single-malt blends tend to be smoother and less flavoursome as they are aimed at the "and coke" market. On the other hand, there is a snobbery about blends amongst whisky drinkers (those who savour their whisky) who will usually pick up a single malt over a blend if the price were the same (and while single malt on the label may be an indicator of quality, it is no guarantee!)
The only way you can sell a tasty blend these days is to make it expensive and sell it to those people who equate price with quality....

[ChattanCat]

Drillagent.

May I give you a wee tip and I apologize if you already know this, but if you really must put water in your whisky(particularly a single malt) then do not get the water from the tap.

Jock, I havn't heard that one. What type of water is the best?

[Jock Scot]

Jock, I havn't heard that one. What type of water is the best?

Right then let me explain first why tap water is not good with single malts or blends for that matter. I assume that most drinking water in the USA is treated with assorted chemicals such as chlorine,fluoride and tin to name three.Most of our water is in the UK. So adding extra tastes in the form of treated drinking water is not good if you want to savour the untainted taste of your scotch.

If you have clean, safe to drink, spring water, or, unpolluted water out of a borehole then that will be great. I expect you can get bottled genuine spring water, not tap water in bottles? That will be just perfect.

Of course if you drink your malt,as it should be, without water then the problem does not exist. Hope this helps.

[thanmuwa]

If you have clean, safe to drink, spring water, or, unpolluted water out of a borehole then that will be great. I expect you can get bottled genuine spring water, not tap water in bottles? That will be just perfect.

Yes, a second on the spring water. It really ought to be the same water it was initially diluted with, but that would be difficult to get for most people . Mineral water at a pinch as long as it has a low mineral content (ie. no taste).

Of course if you drink your malt,as it should be, without water then the problem does not exist. Hope this helps.

Unless of course you have cask strength whisky, which you ought to dilute at least a little bit or you will numb your tastebuds.
Cask strength whisky is great, instead of getting whisky at a strength that someone thinks you want it (around 40% abv), you get it as it actually comes out of the barrel and you get to choose the strength all by yourself. As if you were a grown-up.

[bowser]

Cask strength whisky is great, instead of getting whisky at a strength that someone thinks you want it (around 40% abv), you get it as it actually comes out of the barrel and you get to choose the strength all by yourself. As if you were a grown-up.

The problem here is that the dreaded Tax man charges diffferent rates of duty depending on the %, the higher the more you pay.