[Drinking] Today is International whisky/whiskey day!

[Dr Q]

Caol Ila for me, love the Islay's

 

[darkwolf666]

I’ve gone off piste this week and bought a Japanese whisky - Tenjaku - and to be quite honest, it’s pretty damn good.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Adnams is my absolute favourite.
Ridiculous as it seems, this Suffolk brewer makes the best whisky I've ever had.
Dont know what it's called. But got a Blue label

As its international whisky day, I'll have a large one

 

[osgood]

Arran 10 year old is my tipple of choice. A fabulous dark finish for a 10 year old malt and one with more Speyside flavours than one would expect from a West coast Island distillery. They have discontinued the 10 year old for the time being but the Whiskey Exchange have it for a shade under £36 a bottle.

I am down to my last four bottles....must stock up!


TNBA

TTF

Arran Sherry cask 55% is a superb dram , from the whisky shop
Glenmorangie cask range, Lasanta , Nectar D'or, Quinta Ruban also highly rated

 

[Albion in the north]

Caol Ila for me, love the Islay's

One of my faves. Not too peaty but just enough to let you know where its from.

 

[Albion in the north]

Aberlour Abun'adh Batch 56
A wonderful Sherry whisky

Or

Balvennie Double Wood

Or

Ive a Bruichladdich "Laddie Sixteen" Was a very short run, but a beautiful drop. Im considering not ever drinking it as I wont be able to get another. Theres logic for you.

 

[maresfield seagull]

Auchentoshan American Oak , a Glengoyne 12yo, finish off the bottle of Paddy I bought for St Patrick's Day (any excuse for Murphy and a dram) and a bit of Makers Mark 46 which was on offer with Amazon this week.

Glengoyne 12

Had a bottle of Authostan sp not a fan
Much prefer Glen Keith or dare I say it Buffalo trace bourbon

 

[spongy]

I have half a bottle of Jura left, might sample some of that later then

My favourite. The only one I can drink neat. Maybe 1 ice cube in my snifter glass with it.

 

[Sussexscots]

Had a bottle of Authostan sp not a fan
Much prefer Glen Keith or dare I say it Buffalo trace bourbon

Confess I've never tried Glen Keith so I can't compare. Albeit as a Speyside Whisky, I'd probably enjoy it.

I like Auchentoshan as a 'before dinner' dram as it's quite approachable and not too heavy. I grew up somewhere between tge Auchentoshan and Glengoyne distilleries so there's a bit of local pride there also.

I do like Buffalo Trace, particularly in an 'Old Fashioned' but for neat Bourbon, I'd usually go for something with a higher Rye content like Wild Turkey 101 or more oak like Makers 46.

When I used to travel to the USA regularly I used to really enjoy Old Grandad. Can't find it over here.

 

[Pavilionaire]

A cheeky nightcap - Talisker Storm. Glorious.

 

[maresfield seagull]

Confess I've never tried Glen Keith so I can't compare. Albeit as a Speyside Whisky, I'd probably enjoy it.

I like Auchentoshan as a 'before dinner' dram as it's quite approachable and not too heavy. I grew up somewhere between tge Auchentoshan and Glengoyne distilleries so there's a bit of local pride there also.

I do like Buffalo Trace, particularly in an 'Old Fashioned' but for neat Bourbon, I'd usually go for something with a higher Rye content like Wild Turkey 101 or more oak like Makers 46.

When I used to travel to the USA regularly I used to really enjoy Old Grandad. Can't find it over here.

Pretty much a novice at this
Interesting what you say about the Spey side I may experiment further down that avenue
The Glen Keith was a random punt in Tesco s reduced from £30 down to £ 20 which they do quite often
Am I right in thinking it’s the water source that imparts a lot of the flavour
Which is why some are more peaty Smokey than others ?
Was not a fan of the wild turkey when I tried it
Is it similar to wine in so much it’s what tastes good to you rather than how expensive it is ?
Smooth and no chemical burn harshness is what I tend to favour
I know it’s not a posh drop but I quite like Bushmills

 

[Doonhamer7]

Pretty much a novice at this
Interesting what you say about the Spey side I may experiment further down that avenue
The Glen Keith was a random punt in Tesco s reduced from £30 down to £ 20 which they do quite often
Am I right in thinking it’s the water source that imparts a lot of the flavour
Which is why some are more peaty Smokey than others ?
Was not a fan of the wild turkey when I tried it
Is it similar to wine in so much it’s what tastes good to you rather than how expensive it is ?
Smooth and no chemical burn harshness is what I tend to favour
I know it’s not a posh drop but I quite like Bushmills

No the water isn’t where the peat comes, the malted barley is dried out using smoke from peat. Not all whisky uses surface water so impact of peat and dead sheep will have little impact. Most of speyside /lowland uses blown dry air method so no peat. The majority of flavour (from the nose) / taste (from the tongue) will come from the barrel, that’s why you’ll see things like sherry cask or virgin oak. Once the whisky has had its initial stint in a bourbon barrel then it may be poured into a different barrel that was used to source something else.
Most distilleries don’t even store most of their whisky at source as it is shipped to very large bonded warehouses in the central belt and this is where most bottling is done - so the air doesn’t really impact it - there are exceptions especially those that sometimes taste of the sea. As the barrel can have such an impact that is the reason the master blenders are insured for so much and have their pallet tested on a regular basis, they may mix dozens of barrels together to ensure each year aged classification is the same, so all 12yr old will have older whisky in them but cannot have anything younger. For the blends it gets even more diverse something like the Dewars blended 12yr old they call upon 75 different whisky’s some grain some rye - this means every bottle tastes the same for over 100years, some distilleries you can’t really buy the single malt as it is a base whisky for blending.

To remove the chemical burn (and this I’m sure for me personally is psychosomatic) I find it best to use the senses - look at the whisky, colour, swirl in glass (tulip shaped to keep flavour in) and look at the legs, smell it from your breast distance, after it under the nose, take a big breath and try to recognise the smells (they will be unique to you), then take a small sip onto the tongue and then swirl it round your mouth like a mouthwash, bring it back to rest on the tongue then let it slip down your throat, then two large intake of air across the tongue and let it linger = minimised burn.

The best whisky in the world is the one you like - remove the snobbery. As examples Aldi’s big 3 all get great reviews (at £16-18 bottle) and experts can’t agree on which of the big 6 islay brands produces its islay whisky. M&S 12yr old malt at Xmas about three years ago - it got out it was something like the MacAllan at 2/3rd the price - none left in hours.

 

[Bodian]

No the water isn’t where the peat comes, the malted barley is dried out using smoke from peat. Not all whisky uses surface water so impact of peat and dead sheep will have little impact. Most of speyside /lowland uses blown dry air method so no peat. The majority of flavour (from the nose) / taste (from the tongue) will come from the barrel, that’s why you’ll see things like sherry cask or virgin oak. Once the whisky has had its initial stint in a bourbon barrel then it may be poured into a different barrel that was used to source something else.
Most distilleries don’t even store most of their whisky at source as it is shipped to very large bonded warehouses in the central belt and this is where most bottling is done - so the air doesn’t really impact it - there are exceptions especially those that sometimes taste of the sea. As the barrel can have such an impact that is the reason the master blenders are insured for so much and have their pallet tested on a regular basis, they may mix dozens of barrels together to ensure each year aged classification is the same, so all 12yr old will have older whisky in them but cannot have anything younger. For the blends it gets even more diverse something like the Dewars blended 12yr old they call upon 75 different whisky’s some grain some rye - this means every bottle tastes the same for over 100years, some distilleries you can’t really buy the single malt as it is a base whisky for blending.

To remove the chemical burn (and this I’m sure for me personally is psychosomatic) I find it best to use the senses - look at the whisky, colour, swirl in glass (tulip shaped to keep flavour in) and look at the legs, smell it from your breast distance, after it under the nose, take a big breath and try to recognise the smells (they will be unique to you), then take a small sip onto the tongue and then swirl it round your mouth like a mouthwash, bring it back to rest on the tongue then let it slip down your throat, then two large intake of air across the tongue and let it linger = minimised burn.

The best whisky in the world is the one you like - remove the snobbery. As examples Aldi’s big 3 all get great reviews (at £16-18 bottle) and experts can’t agree on which of the big 6 islay brands produces its islay whisky. M&S 12yr old malt at Xmas about three years ago - it got out it was something like the MacAllan at 2/3rd the price - none left in hours.

That's fascinating - thank you. Bit disappointed by the peat issue though, I always assumed it was the water. But if they're burning peat, and we've spent ages trying to reduce peat usage in compost.... Maybe I'll forget I read that!

You're right about 'the best is the one you like' - just started drinking Jack Daniels recently - quite keen on it, so my tastes are maybe changing as I get older.

 

[Sussexscots]

Pretty much a novice at this
Interesting what you say about the Spey side I may experiment further down that avenue
The Glen Keith was a random punt in Tesco s reduced from £30 down to £ 20 which they do quite often
Am I right in thinking it’s the water source that imparts a lot of the flavour
Which is why some are more peaty Smokey than others ?
Was not a fan of the wild turkey when I tried it
Is it similar to wine in so much it’s what tastes good to you rather than how expensive it is ?
Smooth and no chemical burn harshness is what I tend to favour
I know it’s not a posh drop but I quite like Bushmills

I think @Doonhamer 7 has covered most of the points about peating Whisky comprehensively.

Main point really is to enjoy experimenting but drink what you like! If you prefer a smoother dram, Irish Whiskey may be more to your taste as its generally triple distilled. You might try comparing Jameson, from Cork with Bushmills (from Antrim) or Powers. Or if you fancy a peated Irish drop, Maybe Conemara.

Enjoy!

 

[WATFORD zero]

I don't like Whisky or Whiskey. I even spent a whole night going through some of the 700 different ones they have in the Hop Still in Glasgow to confirm this.



Can someone direct me to the Unpopular Opinions thread

 

[maresfield seagull]

I think @Doonhamer 7 has covered most of the points about peating Whisky comprehensively.

Main point really is to enjoy experimenting but drink what you like! If you prefer a smoother dram, Irish Whiskey may be more to your taste as its generally triple distilled. You might try comparing Jameson, from Cork with Bushmills (from Antrim) or Powers. Or if you fancy a peated Irish drop, Maybe Conemara.

Enjoy!

I think it’s Jameson who do a stout barrel version ?
Which is Nice

 

[Sussexscots]

I think it’s Jameson who do a stout barrel version ?
Which is Nice

Yes, part of their 'Caskmates' range finished in beer barrels.

 

[zefarelly]

Not a whisky drinker really . . . But I do like this . . . .half way down the last bottle . . . . They Haven't made it for over 15 years now

 

[jessiejames]

Depending on my mood later, it'll either be the Laphroaig or the Buffalo Trace bourbon

Buffalo trace nice, have you tried Woodford reserve.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Had a week on the whisky in Austria 6 bottles in 5 days in went badly