The Whisky Thread

[Doon frae Troon]

I also like Penderryn Madeira cask
From Wales normal price £37, but often to be found on special in Tesco etc for £27 ??

I am told that Welsh whiskey works well as a mouth wash

Me...a 10 year old Ardbeg tales a bit of beating.
My wife bought me a bottle for our 52nd anniversary tomorrow [might open it tonight]
I bought her a hot water bottle/ wooly footwarmer which I know she will love.

 

[Albo]

I used to be into whisky in a big way a few years back, I had a spreadsheet to keep track of all the whisky I had which totalled over 100 bottles, was a member of SMWS and have spent a pretty penny in my time on the stuff.
I was buying more than I could ever hope to drink so decided to sell off a load at auction and brought myself a brand new full bag of clubs!
I still have maybe a dozen to 20 bottles laying around in open and unopened states. I don’t drink very much so these will last me a few years.
It can be a very interesting (geeky) world to get into, a lot of people have their opinions on what the correct way to enjoy whisky is (most would argue neat or only with a small amount of water - I even invested in a pipette to get the amount of water drops exact!), and eventually I stood back and realised it should be enjoyed how you want to enjoy it, douse it in half a can of coke, or a lump of ice, it doesn’t matter, it’s your drink you drink and enjoy it how you want to.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Having been told by Mrs BiM that I'd get shot if I brought another bottle in after the recent tour and shopping spree, I appear to have mistakenly pressed the buy now button on a bottle of Ardbeg Hypernova ; apparently their peatiest ever at 170ppm

Wish me luck. And no Fragger, you can't have it if she carries out the threat...

 

[Dando]

Thanks to BIM I have a selection to try as I start my journey.

So far I’ve just taken a small sip out of a few and am looking forward to trying them properly

 

[patricks148]

Not a whisky drinker myself but the current Mrs 148 is. We were at out wine merchants today and she was given some tasters of New Zealand whisky called Cardrona Est. She enjoyed it wasnt cheap though

 

[Blue in Munich]

Thanks to BIM I have a selection to try as I start my journey.

So far I’ve just taken a small sip out of a few and am looking forward to trying them properly

Any thoughts so far James?

 

[Dando]

Any thoughts so far James?

I like the 10yr old one. It reminds me of autumn bonfires

Only issue I’ve got is that my eldest is rather partial to whisky

 

[Blue in Munich]

I like the 10yr old one. It reminds me of autumn bonfires

Only issue I’ve got is that my eldest is rather partial to whisky

I like that description of it, quite suits it. ?

 

[yandabrown]

Well I tried the initial set of recommended ones plus a few more, them went and got a second set of tasters of 18/21 year olds. I printed off some tasting notes so that I had something to look for that others had smelt/tasted but I reckon they either had drunk waaay too much themselves or I am suffering from Covid symptoms! I rated them all out of 10 (10 being what I imagine would be a perfect whisky for me) for taste and also "burn", both neat and with a few drops of water (10 being ripped out my toungue, throat and tonsils, 1 like nectar).

I'm not sure what this says about me but my scores were (Taste / Burn Neat / Burn with water):

Jura 12: 3/8/6. Very medicinal, tarry no hints of vanilla or chocolate coated raisins for me Quite disgusting.
Glenlivet 12: 6/7/5 Again a little tarry but far less so, could get some hints of fruit and a little buttery plus some oaky spiceness on the finish.
Glenmorangie 10: 6/7/6 Got hints of vanilla but not much else on the tasting notes that I could relate to.
Glenfarclas 10: 6.5/8/6 Some light toffee notes and OK finish. Best of the first bunch of "younger" tasters.
Glenfiddich 12: 5/9/6. Really burned this one, somewhat put me off, couldn't really get any of the smells or tastes.

I then got a few more drams from Masters of Malt, these didn't tend to need the water which is what I was after so only 2 scores here:

Tomatin 18: 8/4.5 This was the pick of the bunch though I couldn't make out the same tastes as the notes other than maybe the oak, certainly never tasted any sweetness.
Glen Spey 21: 7/5 I wrote lovely! Could recognise the roasted pear/apricot and marmalade. Had a lingering taste but coudn't put my finger on it (not drying nutmeg as suggested)
Jura 18: 7/4 So much better than the 12! much less tarry.
Jura 21: 6.5/5 Very strange this, I was expecting a better experience on both taste and smoothness but ranked it worse on both counts, very odd.
Glenrothes 21: 7/4 Didn't really recognise much of the tasting notes descriptions

Finally I had a little taste of the Glenfarclas 21 that I bought in St Andrews on a golf visit a couple of years ago and this was a great buy: 8.5/2.5 Best by a margin, the only trouble is I can't afford another bottle and it is nearly all gone

Still got more tasting to do with the second set so perhaps I might spot more flavours as I get used to what I am doing?

 

[Ian_George]

First post on here and it's not about golf!! Still, close to many golfers hearts and getting to the time of year where it's worth carrying some in the bag too!
I used to experiment with various types many years ago - when I could afford to - as the manager of the local Oddbins was a big fan. I was more interested in the '83 Margaux at the time!
My favourite intro or pre-dinner dram was Royal Lochnagar. Everything a Scotch should be without anything dominating or overpowering. The super-peaty, iodine Islay styles are, for me, after dinner only. Lagavulin was my preferred tipple for that, though I did sample a few 'special' Islays that bordered on OTT!

There seem to be lots more individual or one-offs about these days, as opposed to the aim being to blend for consistency, but that could just be marketing strategy.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Well I tried the initial set of recommended ones plus a few more, them went and got a second set of tasters of 18/21 year olds. I printed off some tasting notes so that I had something to look for that others had smelt/tasted but I reckon they either had drunk waaay too much themselves or I am suffering from Covid symptoms! I rated them all out of 10 (10 being what I imagine would be a perfect whisky for me) for taste and also "burn", both neat and with a few drops of water (10 being ripped out my toungue, throat and tonsils, 1 like nectar).

I'm not sure what this says about me but my scores were (Taste / Burn Neat / Burn with water):

Jura 12: 3/8/6. Very medicinal, tarry no hints of vanilla or chocolate coated raisins for me Quite disgusting.
Glenlivet 12: 6/7/5 Again a little tarry but far less so, could get some hints of fruit and a little buttery plus some oaky spiceness on the finish.
Glenmorangie 10: 6/7/6 Got hints of vanilla but not much else on the tasting notes that I could relate to.
Glenfarclas 10: 6.5/8/6 Some light toffee notes and OK finish. Best of the first bunch of "younger" tasters.
Glenfiddich 12: 5/9/6. Really burned this one, somewhat put me off, couldn't really get any of the smells or tastes.

I then got a few more drams from Masters of Malt, these didn't tend to need the water which is what I was after so only 2 scores here:

Tomatin 18: 8/4.5 This was the pick of the bunch though I couldn't make out the same tastes as the notes other than maybe the oak, certainly never tasted any sweetness.
Glen Spey 21: 7/5 I wrote lovely! Could recognise the roasted pear/apricot and marmalade. Had a lingering taste but coudn't put my finger on it (not drying nutmeg as suggested)
Jura 18: 7/4 So much better than the 12! much less tarry.
Jura 21: 6.5/5 Very strange this, I was expecting a better experience on both taste and smoothness but ranked it worse on both counts, very odd.
Glenrothes 21: 7/4 Didn't really recognise much of the tasting notes descriptions

Finally I had a little taste of the Glenfarclas 21 that I bought in St Andrews on a golf visit a couple of years ago and this was a great buy: 8.5/2.5 Best by a margin, the only trouble is I can't afford another bottle and it is nearly all gone

Still got more tasting to do with the second set so perhaps I might spot more flavours as I get used to what I am doing?

I’m looking out for a vintage Glen Hoddle , ?

 

[yandabrown]

I’m looking out for a vintage Glen Hoddle , ?

Smooth and silky as recall ?

 

[Jason.H]

Making my way through a 10year old Jura which I have had for years. Enjoy Laphroag but HID reckons it’s something that has bee filtered through a cats litter.

I have a half bottle of Jura. A bit to peaty for my taste. Never thought about cat litter mind.

 

[Maninblack4612]

Found this the other day. Not sure when I got it but 1972 was the year we got married. Possibly an anniversary present.

 

[Maninblack4612]

Found this the other day. Not sure when I got it but 1972 was the year we got married. Possibly an anniversary present.
View attachment 44955

On a whim, I got this valued by a whisky auction house. They said £150 to £300. On its way to Aberdeen to be entered in the next auction. Think I'll buy a couple of nice bottles of whisky with the proceeds.

 

[jmcp]

Rapidly working my way through a bottle of Highland Park 16yr old, first time I have had a Highland Park as I usually stick to Talisker but this is right up their now as one of my favourites now.

Cheers, John

 

[RichA]

On a whim, I got this valued by a whisky auction house. They said £150 to £300. On its way to Aberdeen to be entered in the next auction. Think I'll buy a couple of nice bottles of whisky with the proceeds.

Have you considered just drinking it?
Clearing out some of my FiL's stuff from my MiL's house a few years ago (and 20 years after their divorce) I found a number of interesting items including a bottle of Knockando that was already 20 years old when he received it as a gift a few decades earlier. Neither of them wanted it so I got to dispose of it as I saw fit.
It was worth a few hundred pounds but I decided I'd never get another opportunity to drink a bottle of 50-60 year old whisky. It was stunning.

 

[Maninblack4612]

Have you considered just drinking it?

No.

 

[Maninblack4612]

No.

Actually, yes, for about 50 milliseconds.

 

[cliveb]

Have you considered just drinking it?
Clearing out some of my FiL's stuff from my MiL's house a few years ago (and 20 years after their divorce) I found a number of interesting items including a bottle of Knockando that was already 20 years old when he received it as a gift a few decades earlier. Neither of them wanted it so I got to dispose of it as I saw fit.
It was worth a few hundred pounds but I decided I'd never get another opportunity to drink a bottle of 50-60 year old whisky. It was stunning.

Hate to break this to you, but once it's bottled it doesn't keep maturing. It remains a X year old whisky no matter how long you wait to open it.