What is the Scotch equivelant?

[Jock Scot]

Kyle: I would have loved to have been along on that tour. At the time were you aware that you were only about 8 miles east of the Adverikie Estate? Are you familiar enough with the lay of the land to say whether a walk from Adverikie to/from the Dalwhinnie distillery is doable? If so, would it be a difficult walk?

John

PS: I plan to purchase the Adverikie estate as soon as I win the lottery.

Doable? Cross country to the "big house"? don't bother! Walk by road to the "big house"? Yes its possible, but its a longish stroll on a dangerous, very dangerous road to walk along.

[creagdhubh]

A MacPherson? Photographic evidence of visiting a distillery that is NOT Cluny?

Indeed. And actually, our chief, Sir William Alan Macpherson of Cluny and Blairgowrie, doesn't even care for the stuff (Cluny). He thinks it has better uses to lubricate engine parts! At one point in its history, Cluny Whisky used to have a much better palette, but it has changed owners and hands so many times through the years that it has evolved into complete crap. Also, the Clan Macpherson Association, nor Cluny, sponors Cluny Whisky in any way, shape or form.

Cheers,

[mookien]

Doable? Cross country to the "big house"? don't bother! Walk by road to the "big house"? Yes its possible, but its a longish stroll on a dangerous, very dangerous road to walk along.

Jock,

Why shouldn't one bother to walk cross country? Is it impassable, even in good weather? If so, why? Too marshy?

It looks like a pleasant enough stroll from Google Earth - only a couple "high spots" to circumvent.

John

[creagdhubh]

Kyle: I would have loved to have been along on that tour. At the time were you aware that you were only about 8 miles east of the Adverikie Estate? Are you familiar enough with the lay of the land to say whether a walk from Adverikie to/from the Dalwhinnie distillery is doable? If so, would it be a difficult walk?

John

PS: I plan to purchase the Adverikie estate as soon as I win the lottery.

Hi John,

Yes, I was aware of that. I have been to Ardverikie House many times in the past, but sadly it is now closed to the public. However, you can stay at the various self-catering cottages located on the estate, to include the Gatelodge, located at the head of the road (just before the bridge) leading up to the big house. Ardverikie's history actually began with the Macphersons, yet unfortunately the estate went through a series of bad dealings and skullduggery, which resulted in its loss to "non-Macphersons." A topic of which the late Euan Macpherson of Glentruim, Laird of Glentruim and a Clan Macpherson Chieftain, was much distraught over if brought up (he was a devoted Macpherson chieftain and a staunch supporter of "the old way of doing things" in the Highlands). The Glentruim Estate is actually located very near to Ardverikie and even closer to Dalwhinnie.

The walk from Dalwhinnie to Ardverikie would not be too difficult, since the route is relatively flat with the odd hill to tackle, but it's a bit boring and long - as Jock said, you could opt for following alongside the roadway, but be VERY cautious as it is indeed dangerous! You may have a more challenging time with the thick heather that often disguises wee burns and sink holes - be sure to wear sturdy footwear, or durable wellies and keep your eyes sharp! There are far better areas in Badenoch for strolling and hill walking, such as the Wildcat Trail. PM me if you'd like and I can give you some ideas.

If you ever do when the lottery and purchase Ardverikie - that is if it's even for sale by then, or if you make the current owner an offer he simply cannot refuse - then consider me as your neighbor! I have always had a plan/dream to purchase Cluny Castle in nearby Laggan if I ever hit it big...mainly so it can be rightfully returned to the clan and have a true Macpherson living within its stone walls once again. Ah, we can dream can't we?!

Me hill walking in the hills surrounding Newtonmore and Laggan.









Cheers,

[adempsey10]

I'm partial to Smokehead at the moment. It doesnt have a fancy celtic name so its not very popular with the pretentious types. But if you like peat and smoke, it's a killer. Aberlour is also a fantastic choice. I would think you might be disappointed trying to find a scotch that resembles Irish whisky. In the same way, after reading a really good book and you attempt to seek out another just like it to keep the same thrill going, you always end up disappointed. Whereas, if you treated them as entirely different things, you might have enjoyed the second book in a different way. Therefore, my advice would be to try to develop a taste for scotch separate from your Irish whisky palate.

[English Bloke]

Good advice in adempsey10's post above regarding separate palates...

If you'd like a 'Jamesonesque' Scottish single malt (and I use the term with caution) it will be quite difficult to find. Jameson is not a blended whiskey as such. A blended whisky takes product from several distilleries and mixes them to make what's in the bottle. Johnnie Walker is an example (red label, 35 different grain and malt whiskies blended... Great with ginger ale!! Probably. ;)

Jameson is however a single distillery 'whiskey' in that all the raw product they use comes from the one distillery. It is not a single malt because it uses a mix of malted barley and unmalted barley spirits.

So what's the difference between unmalted and malted? It's complicated but loosely, the barley grains are first encouraged to sprout (unmalted or green malt at this stage) and then some of that green malt is dried at high temperature, which stops the growth of the shoots and creates natural sugars in the dried grain (malted barley).

Jameson mix the two stages of barley (green & malted) after distilling them separately, but the end result is all their own distillery product, hence 'single distillery'. Scottish distillers of 'single MALTS' only use malted barley and then only offer whisky from the one distillery.

So to your original question. Is there a single malt that tastes a bit like Jameson?

As previously stated, it's subjective but give Glen Moray 'Classic' a whirl.



It's a 'no age statement' (minimum three year old), unpeated single malt from the Speyside region. They take their water from the river Lossie at Elgin so it's as authentic Scottish as you're going to get. It's reasonably consistent (the bulk of their production goes to make blended whisky), It's one of the more affordable standard single malt offerings and in my opinion is as easy drinkin' drinkable as the Jamesons you already enjoy. It doesn't have the developed character of some of the the more renowned single malts but it doesn't taste like medicine or feel like it's stripping your taste buds off when you try it for the first time.

In my opinion, there are others that are (arguably) better. Age is a factor, region is a factor, personal taste is the critical factor. But whisky IS an acquired taste and it takes time to discover what you like and what you don't like. As a first timer, and I'm not being patronising here, this one is a good place to start.

In addition, if you find any whisky fierce, don't be afraid to add small amounts of water to it (mineral preferred, not tap). Add it a teaspoonful at a time till you find the level you like. Remember you can put it in, but you can't take it out. Also observe how the aroma and subtleties of flavour change progressively as you add your dribbles... The distillers add water to the whisky to bring it down to bottle strength so why shouldn't you? Anyone who calls you a 'softy' for doing so is an idiot and deserves their hangover in the morning.

Smell your whisky before you drink it, and I mean get your nose right in the glass and have a good sniff. 50% of the enjoyment is in the 'nose'. Take a taste in a small sip and let it wash over your whole mouth. Your not looking for flavours like rubber boots, creosote fence, old leather sofa or mouldy cheese, or any of the other hogwash the experts come out with... but you are looking for the basic sweet, salt, sour, bitter flavours that normal people can comprehend. Take mouthfuls of cold water between whisky tastes to cool down your palate. It helps. And if you are trying different whiskies at the one sitting, rinse your glass in between them and swig that as well.

I'd suggest you try and avoid ice in any single malt. It's only my preference but I find it kills all the character. On the other hand, I tried a Grant's Ale Cask Conditioned whisky a month or two ago, it's blended, some mixed malts but mainly other-grain whiskies and while I'm not a great fan of blendeds, the addition of ice transformed it into a magical glassful. The same cannot be said for single malt. Ice (in my opinion) definitely does it a dis-service.

Finally... Please don't put Coke in it!!! If you want to do that drink Jack D.

Enjoy. Single Malt in moderation is a delightful journey of discovery. There are literally hundreds of varieties and no two are the same.

I'm not an expert... I'm just a devoted fan.

If you want more erudite and detailed info on "a beginner's guide to single malt whisky" Have a look here

And If that doesn't whet you're appetite? You're cured!!

[English Bloke]

Kyle, I've said it before but that's a corkin' Macpherson Kilt!!! I Love that 'to stripe' pleating.

[mookien]

Kyle,


Thanks for your informative and interesting reply. I am envious of your time in and around Ardverikie, though it's not entirely surprising given your avatar. You also stoked one of my fantasies - staying at the Gatelodge and hiking and mountain biking in the surrounding area. I have only "flown" over the terrain between the "big house" and the Dalwhinnie distillery via Google Earth and it looks pretty flat from up there. It's hard to see those burns and sink holes in the heather from that altitude. That's why I made the query.


I did not know that Cluny Macpherson once owned the land at Adverikie, and was also ignorant of the subsequent history of the estate, but I just read a summary of it on the web page


http://www.ardverikie.com/history.htm


Fascinating! Queen Victoria, and all that aristocratic money changing hands. I completely agree with Laird Euan Macpherson. It's way past time for an "old way of doing things" solution to the problem. Why, as far as I can tell, the Ramsden's don't even have a family tartan. Shocking! An all out clan war is clearly justified, even inevitable!


I might be able to get Clan Douglas to help out, though they don't currently have a Chieftain. My brother is (or at least was) the Blaylock Sept Commissioner for the clan. And as I recall the Douglases went up that way once before to help Robert the Bruce settle land disputes, so they have plenty of experience in that sort of thing. Afterwards, we'll just march on and liberate Cluny Castle, while we're at it.


The 8 mile walk might be boring for folks like you who have spent a good bit of time in the area, but for me, a newcomer, it would be like ambling through a mythical heaven - at least until my wellies fill up with water, my malt supply runs low, and the midges drive me crazy. Then I'll call my chauffer. I'll be sure to check with you regarding Wildcat Trail, et. al. before I start out. Thanks for the offer to help. And, thanks for posting the pictures of your "walk". They really whet my appetite, especially the one with the river.


I would be honored to consider you my neighbor, even if I have to move to Princeton or Bethany about 8 miles east of Hamilton to do so. I plan to win the lottery just like that 84 year old lady recently did in Florida - Big Time! to the tune of $590M dollars. She was a Mackenzie, you know. When I do, I'll buy us both a castle.


John

[artificer]

I'm partial to Smokehead at the moment. It doesnt have a fancy celtic name so its not very popular with the pretentious types. But if you like peat and smoke, it's a killer. Aberlour is also a fantastic choice. I would think you might be disappointed trying to find a scotch that resembles Irish whisky. In the same way, after reading a really good book and you attempt to seek out another just like it to keep the same thrill going, you always end up disappointed. Whereas, if you treated them as entirely different things, you might have enjoyed the second book in a different way. Therefore, my advice would be to try to develop a taste for scotch separate from your Irish whisky palate.

My wife got me a bottle of Smokehead for Father's Day - it is indeed very nice.

I agree with the commentator a while back that recommended Auchentoshan, the lighter, unpeated Lowland Malt would be a good place to start on Scotch Whisky.

ith:

[mookien]

Thank you for the responses. Everyone was helpful. Going to Peach Street Distillery and Peach Street Brewery for tasting experiences. Not on the same night or weekend. Like to keep my stomach in one piece.

Sounds like a good plan to me. Let us know how it goes. You might even take some notes as you sample in case you forget the "details" by the next morning.