Booze The single malt scotch thread

Not a fan of the Macallan either. But my brother is so I stay with that when I get my annual Xmas gift for him (we exchange good scotch each year). But then, who am I to talk? My personal fave region is the peety, smoke goodness emanating from Islay. I don't like the super-mediciney stuff like Laphroaig very much. But the better stuff from Islay has won me over.

Anyway, here is bro's gift for this year. Just got it last week from our friends at the venerable BevMo for around a c-note

https://www.weinquelle.com/artikel/Macallan_A_D_Rattray_19_Years_9499_e.html
 
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i'd say my favorite is glenmorangie or talisker. the former is our go to scotch because my husband doesn't like talisker quite as much as i do and we usually share the bottle. we've got a full bottle of glenmorangie right now and finishing up the littlemill which was recommended by xcheck. not bad!
 
Mmmmm... Littlemill. Get it while you can because they shuttered the distillery, sold off the copper stills for scrap and turned the place into a museum.

Bevmo has been doing some some interesting bottlings with AD Ratray. I've had their Royal Lochnagar 14, Cragganmore 14 and Bowmore 20 (although this one might not be specially bottled for Bevmo). The Lochnagar is pretty good. The Bowmore is excellent. It looks like Bevmo is trying to compete with Binnys; a Chicago based store that has some marvelous bottlings through Signatory.

That AD Ratray Mac looks interesting because it is all Bourbon cask. No sherry.
 
So last night, a few friends and I were hosted to dinner and a tasting of Tullibardine (pronounced, TUH-li-bar-din) by Tullibardine's international sales manager and the local distributor. We tasted the Aged Oak, 1993, 1988, Sherry Wood Finish and Port Wood Finish. The general consensus is that all are solid whiskies. Even better, they are pretty reasonably priced. I very much enjoyed the Aged Oak and 1993. The Aged Oak is a new expression whereas the 1993 and 1988 are from old production casks (the distillery was mothballed, acquired by a French company, and reopened around 2003). The Aged Oak has a genteel quality to it that presents like a much longer aged whisky; sweet bourbon influences up front with a long spicy mid-palate and a finish that includes Tullibardine's signature oats and cereal taste.

This is good stuff, and should start appearing on shelves locally now or within the next few weeks. Apparently, they're US distribution has been limited because, as a small producer, they could not afford to bottle both 700mL bottles (which is the standard internationally, but apparently is illegal in the US) and 750mL lines. They are now distributing 750mL bottles for US production.
 
geez, i like your job or friends or however it is that you are able to try such varied and fine whiskies.

bummer about the littlemill. my husband just finished it without my knowing that he snarfed the last little bit. (pretty sure he'd had a bad day though, that's usually his reward).
 
All it really is, is my association with the LA Scotch Club. Last night we tasted a Cadenheads Glendronach 25, Family Silver Glengassaugh 1973, Port Ellen 1974/1991 (that's 17 year old for those lacking math skills or a calculator), and a Port Charlotte 2001/2010 aged in Sherry Hogshead. All of these are hard to find (some were acquired at auction) and very expensive. We also polished off a bottle of Gordon & MacPhail's Glen Grant 21, which I heard is a very affordable bottle and tastes pretty darn good.
 
a partner at my husband's firm knows a guy with a $3 million scotch collection... that he keeps behind bulletproof glass... wow:

meanwhile, my dad gave me a bottle of glenlivet 12.
 
lunchbox said:
a partner at my husband's firm knows a guy with a $3 million scotch collection... that he keeps behind bulletproof glass... wow:

meanwhile, my dad gave me a bottle of glenlivet 12.
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Hope it's an earthquake-proof showcase behind that glass--if such a thing exists. I'd worry more about that than some bent on revenge f***ed over ex-colleague and his thugs busting in to shoot up the goods. But then again we don't know this guy.......

I'll take a double Glenlivet, thanks. Still like it after all these years.
 
OTTo VoN BLoTTo said:
Hope it's an earthquake-proof showcase behind that glass--if such a thing exists. I'd worry more about that than some bent on revenge f***ed over ex-colleague and his thugs busting in to shoot up the goods. But then again we don't know this guy.......

I'll take a double Glenlivet, thanks. Still like it after all these years.
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i know, right?! i guess if you spend that much on liquor that you "collect", you might get a little paranoid......... lol.

definitely can't go wrong with the glenlivet. it's no frills, but my dad got it from someone from work (and honestly, i'm surprised because most of those guys like hennessy or crown royal if they're gonna drink hard liquor, johnny walker, if they go for scotch). my dad, himself, doesn't drink scotch and after it sitting there untouched the last couple visits, i bugged him about it and he said i could have it. haha. :D
 
My Panic Room might as well have some good eats and drinks in it...
 
xcheck said:
Mmmmm... Littlemill. Get it while you can because they shuttered the distillery, sold off the copper stills for scrap and turned the place into a museum.

Bevmo has been doing some some interesting bottlings with AD Ratray. I've had their Royal Lochnagar 14, Cragganmore 14 and Bowmore 20 (although this one might not be specially bottled for Bevmo). The Lochnagar is pretty good. The Bowmore is excellent. It looks like Bevmo is trying to compete with Binnys; a Chicago based store that has some marvelous bottlings through Signatory.

That AD Ratray Mac looks interesting because it is all Bourbon cask. No sherry.
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A small post-holiday coinkadink.. my brother and I both just happened to get each the exact same gift this year- The 19 yrs old AD Ratray from Bevmo! We had a pretty good laugh over it. Great minds think alike, eh? Anyway, if you come across a bottle, expect a strong bourbon hit on open with a caramel note on the finish, oaky flavors all around. Very direct, insistent taste that doesn't reveal a lot of complexity over a couple glasses. It's top notch stuff.
 
Bump. So I had an interesting whisky drinking experience the other day. A friend poured me a dram, and without know what I was drinking, make some tasting notes and give it a grade. So I did. It was a good tasting dram; nothing spectacular. Nosed of some fruit and tasted very dry/spicy with a bone dry finish. An average whisky. Then my friend told me what I was drinking: Old Pulteney 21, the whisky that critic, Jim Murray listed as the best whisky of 2011.

My friend is putting research together for a blog entry. Apparently everybody who is tasting this is reviewing it as being rather average.
 
i think its all subjective though. kind of like how i love talisker, but my husband thinks it's "meh". most people might find old pulteney to be average as you say, but i guess that critic's got a soft spot on his taste buds for it. it's why i don't really go by the recommendations of critics--there's the subjective factor and then sometimes they're just full of s***, haha.
your blind taste test reminds me of the one ABC did with grey goose. bunches of people swear it's awesome vodka, but when blind tested, it came out with underwhelming results. (i agree, it's just an average vodka).
 
I had some cheap ass ($15) Trader Joe's Speyburn 10 last night. For some reason it was better yesterday than it was the past. But I would never recommend it or give it to someone. I just bought it on a whim a few months ago. The peat has a metallic taste to it.
 
lunchbox said:
i think its all subjective though. kind of like how i love talisker, but my husband thinks it's "meh". most people might find old pulteney to be average as you say, but i guess that critic's got a soft spot on his taste buds for it. it's why i don't really go by the recommendations of critics--there's the subjective factor and then sometimes they're just full of s***, haha.
your blind taste test reminds me of the one ABC did with grey goose. bunches of people swear it's awesome vodka, but when blind tested, it came out with underwhelming results. (i agree, it's just an average vodka).
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Taste is purely subjective. The benefit to critics is that they generally have a great palate, and are able to describe flavor profiles so that you can get an idea of what the drink tastes like without taking a sip. The thing about critics in general is that they tend to be very pro-industry. After all, if their reviews do not have an impact on whatever they are reviewing, they are useless as a critic.

The thing about Jim Murray in the world of whisky is that he tends to be very supportive of distilleries that are "supportive" of him. I heard that one year he rated Ardbeg 10 the best whisky of the year. Coincidentally, he was working for Ardbeg at the time.
 
lunchbox said:
kind of like how i love talisker
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Prepare to be jealous. I sat down to a Talisker blind vertical with some friends. We tasted the 30 yr., 20 yr. UK release, 20 yr. US release, Distiller's Ed., 57 North, 2004 25 yr., 2005 25 yr, 18 yr., 10 yr. and the 175th Anniversary. There is some very good stuff in there, and then there's some worth passing on. My fave was the 2005 25 yr. and the lowlight was the 10 yr.
 
Bump-been far too long since we rocked this thread.

Last night, my friends and I were hosted by the Balvenie reps who presented the 12 Year Doublewood, 15 Year Single Barrel, 14 Year Caribbean Cask, 21 Year Port Finish and the Tun 1401 Batch 3. For the money, the Doublewood is a great value. I heard its about $35 at Trader Joes, and is a very drinkable whisky. I didn't care much for the 14 and 15 year. The 21 was very tasty, but probably not worth the price (I don't know its price point).

The gem was the Tun. This bottle is not normally in their presentation, and at $250 per bottle you can see why. These bottles I believe are sold out. The concept behind the Tun 1401 is the Master Distiller vats 10 different barrels together in a tun (Tun (unit) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), creating a very unique expression. On the nose, I got sweet tea, spice, cinnamon, marmalade/jam, tobacco, leather, mint/menthol, and little hint of "first aid kit". The taste was more difficult to peg, but had an explosively wonderful palate that included leather, heather, black licorice, bubble gum, black pepper and something I couldn't quite figure out. The finish was very long and basically, I got goose bumps when I drank it. The reps said that Balvenie is currently making Batch 6 of the Tun 1401 that will be distributed in the US only, and should be out some time in October of this year.

/slainte
 
My new favourite....only tried this based on the award but it is truely very quaffable.

BBC News - Wick malt named world's best whisky

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A single malt distilled in one of Scotland's most remote distilleries has been named the world's best whisky by a leading expert.

Old Pulteney was crowned World Whisky of the Year in Jim Murray's 2012 Whisky Bible.

The 21-year-old single malt scored a record-equalling 97.5 points out of 100.

The whisky is matured in American oak casks and bottled at the Pulteney distillery in Wick, Caithness.
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I suppose now is a good time to get back into looking at a quality scotch.
 
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