Your personal favorite single malt scotch

[Rob Wright]

My old favorite, fortunately production is starting to trickle into the states again.



Rob

[Brian K]

I have read through this thread for the first time today and I have really enjoyed it. I have been drinking Scotch since I was 18, nearly 35 years ago, yet I have only recently tried my first single malt.

My first purchase was when I was shopping with my a couple of my younger sisters for a family party early in January. I had always wanted to try a single malt but had always been scared away by the price. The liquor store we were at had a 375 ml bottle of The Glenlivet 12 Year Old for $24.95. I had/have no idea if this was/is a good price or not (especially for such a small bottle!) but I figured that for 25 bucks I could have a taste of my first single malt.

Well, good price or bad, it seemed to me like money well spent. Despite the claims of some others here, it seemed quite smooth to me.

I've never been much of a drinker (well, not after my college days, anyway - THAT'S another story altogether ) so that bottle lasted me for a couple weeks.

Owing to my limited budget I aimed a bit lower on my next bottle and tried a bottle of McClelland's, a lowland whisky that must have been a wee bairn because it was not labeled with any indication of age whatsoever. I was a bit worried by that, but my purse ruled the day and home it went. I was pleasantly surprised because, while it was not as good as the Glenlivet 12, it was still better than 99% of the blends I'd ever tasted, and I've had some that had great reputations purchased for me by friends with deeper pockets.

After that bottle had been gone awhile I waited a bit and then tried another I had never heard of - Glen Garioch 8 Yr Old, which is a Highland malt. While not as good as the first two, again it was better than a blended Scotch.

Tonight I sit here with a glass of Glenmorangie Original 10 Yr Old Highland malt whilst listening to Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax and Itzhak Perlman play chamber music on PBS. I am a happy man. It's not as smooth as the Glenlivet or the McClelland's, but it's a fine whisky and superior to the McClelland's.

I am looking forward to the nights where it is not to cool and I can sit on my porch with a glass of single malt and a fine maduro cigar to relax with after work. I only smoke cigars when it's warm enough to be sedentary outside at night. I love 'em, but they will surely stink up a house in a hurry! It's also a good way to limit my consumption of them because the only 'gars I truly enjoy tend to be expensive and I'd spend myself into penury if I smoked them 12 months a year instead of just 4 or 5.

A couple other notes.

A few people have spoken of favorite blends. Surprisingly enough, my favorite blend is relatively inexpensive. It's Black and White. I have tried many blends over the years, including some that had great reputations, and prices to match, but that has always been my favorite. I tried it when I was about 20 yrs old and never regretted it. It is smooth and flavorful without even a hint of harshness. It seems unfortunately difficult to find today, but since I don't drink that much I probably haven't been looking hard enough.

Someone asked what the worst Scotch we ever had was. Well, we were buying for a dorm party 34 years ago and my friends knew I liked scotch (from the first sip, mind you - no matter what anyone says, not everyone needs to "learn" to like the stuff!) so they picked up a bottle of something priced perfectly for college students - Hudson's Bay Scotch. I think they paid 4 or 5 bucks for it (it was the spring of 1976 after all) and it tasted like it. I could have sworn there was paint thinner in the bottle. Being college students we, of course, got over that objection fairly quickly and the bottle was soon empty

I did, however, learn my lesson and stuck with my usual Dewar's or Cutty Sark (or Black and White when I could find it) from then on. The big name in blends back then was Chivas Regal, but I thought, and continue to think, that it is way to harsh for something you pay that much for. I'll stick with my lower priced but more enjoyable brands, thank you very much.

Regards,

Brian

[Jack Daw]

I just purchased a bottle of Arran 10. The distillery is just a pup, commencing operations in 1995, and is located in Lochranza, Isle of Arran. I visited there in 2003 and enjoyed a dram of the young squeezings and am happy to get this first bottle for myself at last. Tasting begins this evening.

[blackbeard]

I have to give a nod to the Springbank, 12 yr, single cask that I just won at the Woodland games. The distillery is in Campbeltown at the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula. Big bang peat up front, but a smooth vanilla/caramel on the back end. Yummmmmmm!!!!!

[LANCER1562]

I have half a bottle of Klenkinchie 10 YO. I also like the Glennlivett, Laphroaig 12 YO, Glemorangie, Glenfiddich. Although I find that I prefer the milder Lowland scotches, I do like some of the Highlands and Islands.

[artificer]

I'm newly partial to Ardbeg 10 year, a birthday gift from the wife. My previous love was Laphroaig 10, and I still waver back and forth. I was lucky enough to have both on hand at once, as my sister gave me the Laphroaig for my birthday on the same day I received the Ardbeg...
Spoilt for choice! :lol

For a sweeter finish- if I'm sharing with the 'newly Scotched' I'd prefer to have The Macallan Cask Strength. It's lovely, and a little less jarring to the new palate than the Island drams, which many new to the water of life find a bit too 'medicinal'.

[Old Hippie]

Hudson's Bay Scotch. I think they paid 4 or 5 bucks for it (it was the spring of 1976 after all) and it tasted like it. I could have sworn there was paint thinner in the bottle.

Back about then I bought a bottle of a brand I can't remember, but it was probably from the same refinery as yours. A friend of mine and I decided to finish it off after it sat around for a while, and we decided to get pyrotechnical. Somebody sober asked, "But does it burn?" and so I opened the bottle, took a slug, and said, "Yup."

:ootd:

[NewEnglander]

Any suggestions for a member of his rabble trying to get his start with scotches? I'll admit that my only exposure thus far is Johnnie red...

[ForresterModern]

Any suggestions for a member of his rabble trying to get his start with scotches? I'll admit that my only exposure thus far is Johnnie red...

As a newbie to the scotch scene you should probably stick to the bigger name brands of SINGLE MALT scotches, rather than blends. My suggestions would be Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Balvenie, Macallan, usually between 10 and 15 years old. Others may chime in with a few more but these are fairly standard and usually available in most bars and virtually all decent liquor stores, and most come in at between $25-30US for a 750ml bottle, give or take. Try a bunch of different ones, maybe move up into a little older or more expensive ones for comparison after you get a feel for what flavors you like.

One suggestion: the first taste of straight scotch will shock your palate, so do not decide whether you like it from the first taste; let the first swig clear out of your mouth then trust the second taste which will be less shocking and more representative of the real flavors.

Enjoy, and let us know what you find you like. If you get into it and like it please join the SMALL social group--Single MALt Lovers in Kilts---here on xmarks, and read and post there.

I just enjoyed a nice Scapa (14yrs I believe)---only scotch distilled on the Orkney islands---lovely flavor, almost indescribably smooth.


jeff

[Old Hippie]

Also try to make friends with someone who's got a nice Scotch collection and can speak knowledgeably about what they have and why they like it. Or gather some friends and buy a few bottles as suggested and see which ones seem good to you. Take good notes.

Of course, single malts are like a lot of other things: subjective. Remember to have fun educating your palate, and don't get too hung up on reading labels that promise "notes of toasted walnut and bergamot with a long peaty finish, against a background of oloroso sherry." You might try it and find charming hints of road tar and dry manure, with the harsh medicinal taste of aged iodine.

Come to think of it, that sounds like Laphroaig, which is why I like it so much...