411 from Scotch Drinkers

[adriano46]

I particularly like Glenffidch 15 which has a sherry, citrus orange flavor for me, then Glenlivet 12 which I feel has a creamy, vanilla flavor. I think Glenlivet is one of the most popular single malts in both Scotland and the rest of the world. Oban 14 is quite distinctive and has a rich, smokey, peat flavor and was my favorite distillery to visit, in a very small town, right on the ocean. Laphroaig 10 also has a smokey, peat finish for me and is currently quite trendy. Macallan 12 has a sherry, crispy apple flavor. I don't think you could go wrong with any of these, after all he is your brother, and should appreciate your gesture in trying to get him something he might really like. You could also consider accessories like the proper glassware (Riedel?), scotch stones (pieces of marble?) which you freeze and then use to keep your drink cool without dilution, or those famous spherical ice molds from MOMA which are popular because you just use one spherical piece of ice per glass and it tends not to melt as fast as regular ice, also preventing dilution, or maybe a scotch liquore like Drambuie? There are also great coffee table books about scotch/Scotland or travel guides about "scotch" tours which are great fun. My brother and I always order Jonny Walker Black when we're out and about, it's a good blended scotch with a slightly smokey, peat flavor and a much more reasonable bar price since they really jack the price on single malts. My father really liked that Haig and Haig Pinch.

 

Jackboy -- you really are an afficiando of single malt. Hope you continue to give us your recommendatioins in the future. I have cut and pasted your posting to a small place on the computer for future shopping and referencing. hile my local vintner, who has a great collection, usually gives nice details in describing the various taste differences, your very descriptive language was the best I have heard in some time. Thanks, and cheers!

[Dave]

i'm behind lankypeters on his comments.

and i'm behind jackboy48 too.

 

well, actually i've not been behind either of them yet (as far as i know) - but there's always the future to look forward to!

 

scotch is my favorite liquor. and my favorite two are both single malts - Oban and Laphroaig.

 

i love the idea of a sampler of different scotches. i mean, if i were your brother, wayout - and if you were getting it for me.

but then again, if i were your brother, would it be taboo for us to have sex? hmmmm.

(i'm down with it if you are, bro. we might need a few drinks in us first...)

[Phil_musc]

Dave, you wicked, wicked man. If you were my brother, though, I think we'd have broken a few taboos by now. Most likely we'd have appeared on the Jerry Springer show or some such erudite TV in which the bizarre and disgusting is made to look merely earnest. (Actually, I'm not that judgmental, lol)

[orbital sander]

where the heck do you live?!? I bought a bottle of Macallan 18 over five years ago, and even then it was $170(!) here in Las Vegas (which I thought had fairly low sin taxes, for obvious reasons). If I could get it for $80 a bottle, I'd buy a bottle a month!!

 

Macallan 18 is my all-time favorite. I've sampled quite a few other fine single malts, some far more expensive, and always end up going back to Mac18.

 

Try Here. I failed to mention that was for a 375ml...

 

http://www.wineoland.com/sku10838.html?utm_source=Google%20Products&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=MACALLAN%20SCOTCH%2018%20YEAR%2086@

[1sf]

I like single malts, especially Glenlivet 21, but I certainly won't spurn Johnny Walker Blue when offered.

[Zapped]

I'm not a huge drinker. So I can buy pretty good stuff. Johnnie Walker Black is my relax-with-something-on-the-rocks Scotch. Johnnie Walker Blue, which a friend gave me as a gift, doesn't do that much for me--maybe I need to try it again. It's so expensive that I keep it hidden.

 

Of single malts, Glennfiddich 15 I really like, which surprised me, because I wasn't that crazy about Glenfiddich 12. I love Glenmorangie Sherry Wood Finish--that's also a favorite.

 

For a while I was buying a new single malt once a month, to build a collection. I started with Isle of Jura 10-year, which I got for a fantastic price a liquor store in Chicago who was running a special. Then I was on reduced salary for a year, on sabbatical, and gave up the single-malt purchases for a a while. I may start again--but it does get to be an expensive habit.

 

Now wouldn't it be interesting to match Scotches to sexual partners/activities? Which would go with whom? Or be analagous to whom?

[orbital sander]

As far as alternative products, I like Stranhan's Colorado Whiskey which has similarities to some single malt scotch. It is a unique product and quite enjoyable.

[raulgmanzo]

I say get him the most interesting and unusual fine single malt you can find and afford. Otherwise whats the point? You could just give him a check or wad of bills.

 

Something unusual and special makes a neat and classy gift. Go downtown whereever you are and look for a funky little liquour store that preferably has a salesman/clerk a few times older than the scotch. Forget the big stores that he probably already shops at and where the sales clerks don't know anything.

 

Scotch is not horribly perishable, even after the bottle is opened. So if he doesn't like it enough to guzzle it right away no big deal. He'll get to know it over time or share it with friends.

[happyguy2]

I like Glenfiddich - and if you go to a specialized store, you can find it in aged categories, I paid over $150 for a special aged bottle as a gift to someone who had done something special for me.

[+ deej]

I'm not normally a fan of mixing a good single malt, but Rachel Maddow offered this recipe on her show Friday. It sounds pleasing for a chilly evening.

 

 

The Whiskey Skin is a variation on a hot toddy. This recipe from David Wondrich's great book, "Imbibe!"

 

Ingredients:

 

• Water
  
• Sugar (White sugar, demerara sugar -- depending on what you like)
  
• A lemon
  
• Scotch (Good, scotchy scotch; a single malt, a good peaty one if you can get it, like Ardbeg from Islay)
  

Preparation:

 

Start by setting the water to boil. You want a heat proof mug.

 

Wondrich calls for about a teaspoon of sugar. Rachel likes a little less than that.

 

Then, you want a looooooong thin piece of lemon peel.

 

If you're following the recipe properly, you just drop the peel in there. The Rachel Maddow variation is to murder the peel a little bit with a muddler, using the sugar as an abrasive to really work the lemon oil out of the peel.

 

Add two ounces of scotch to the lemon peel and sugar.

 

Pour in the boiling water, then just stir once...

 

Drink... and fall asleep.

[orbital sander]

Scotchy scotch...I have got to remember that one

[wayout]

Went to the liquor store earlier this week to buy my brother his Xmas gift of a bottle of scotch, armed with new found knowledge from the various posts here, and came out of the store with (insert drum roll here)......nothing. I had my heart set on a sampler set of scotch, either blended or single malts, but couldn't find that (and I did check out three different liquor stores near me). Then I thought that since he has had and apparently liked Johnny Walker Green that it would be nice to upgrade him to a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue but then I saw the price. Blue might still be an option as it is not that much more than I wanted to spend but I want to think about it before deciding. If I do get Blue then he better not expect Gold next year as that is very expensive. I did see the Johnny Walker Double Black someone had mentioned. Would it be considered a downgrade from Green (double black is cheaper in cost than green so obviously it must not be as good, at least according to my simplistic logic)?

 

I re-read all the posts here and now I am thinking maybe I should reconsider and take a chance on a single malt. It would be different for him and who knows I may turn him into a single malt aficionado. A gift certificate to the liquor store may be an option but I would much prefer to give him a bottle. So with one week to go to Christmas I continue to delay the purchase but I think I may be getting closer to a decision, and I do very much appreciate everyone's viewpoints and suggestions they have posted. I suspect that I may be over thinking things but I do feel my brother is worth the effort (and frustrations).

[BgMstr4u]

Jackboy's post is right on, in my book, except I'm not very fond of the Glens, which I think are over-hyped. They are, from my point of view, "safe" whiskies -- inoffensive and expensive at the same time.

 

Among the single malts I prefer Oban, The Balvenie, Laphroaig and Macallan, in that order. They are all fine at any level, but get better with age and price. Get the one whose price you are comfortable with and it will be fine. The blended whisky I prefer is Famous Grouse (made by the people who make The Macallan), but honestly, for mixed drinks (as opposed to scotch and water or scotch and ice, which turns into scotch and water) it makes little sense to buy a really expensive blend because it will be masked by the mixer.

 

One of the great things about scotch (and most spirits, actually) is that it lasts approximately forever. So if your brother decides he doesn't like the very, very nice scotch you have given him (and there are brothers who are hard to please! I have a few) he can put the prestige item in the front row of the collection and impress his friends, some of whom may in fact know a bit about scotch and be pleased to have it.

[rvwnsd]

...Does the Dom come with the box, or is it just displayed with the bottle?. For a gift, you really need the box for presentation.

 

I haven't looked recently, but last Christmas COSTCO was selling it (and other scotches) with the box.

 

To Raul's point about scotch being shelf-stable, I bought the Johnny Walker Black/Green/Gold gift set a couple of years ago. Still tastes great despite being open for a couple of years. Personally, I like Johnny Walker Green and Blue. BevMo (California-based discount liquor chain) is selling Blue for $159 online and they do ship outside of California. Again, to Raul's point. do some research and see if you can find a lesser-known boutique brand. Sometimes, the no-name small-batch spirits are very good. All of the brands named in this thread are available at a chain store near you, but the little small-batch brand will be unique.

[Dave]

single malt! single malt! single malt!

 

i just read that you walked out with nothing... and was about to write one word as a comment, but BgMstr4u kinda beat me to the punch.

 

anyway here it is:

 

OBAN

[Diverdan]

Ahh... 1sf.... I agree with you on Glenlivet 21, but Johnny Walker Blue is fantastic... but very expensive~!

[Poolboy21409]

I'd buy a cheap scotch like Inverhouse and put it in an expensive scotch bottle reseal it some how see if he knows the difference. My father used to do this when his twin brother was coming to visit and he(the twin) never knew the difference.

[BSR]

if the brother drank the scotch with a mixer, like a whiskey sour, then your dad was right. It would be tough to notice the difference, plus it's a waste of good scotch. But if you're uncle was drinking it on the rocks or neat, yikes, how could he not notice?? If it's a single malt, I always drink it neat. Otherwise, JWBlack for example, on the rocks.

[+ deej]

if the brother drank the scotch with a mixer, like a whiskey sour, then your dad was right. It would be tough to notice the difference, plus it's a waste of good scotch. But if you're uncle was drinking it on the rocks or neat, yikes, how could he not notice?? If it's a single malt, I always drink it neat. Otherwise, JWBlack for example, on the rocks.

 

Yup. In fact if you order a single malt at a bar the bartender will likely serve it neat in a snifter, just like a cognac or brandy. If you order it any other way he'll probably give you a look that will make you think twice.

[orbital sander]

Yup. In fact if you order a single malt at a bar the bartender will likely serve it neat in a snifter, just like a cognac or brandy. If you order it any other way he'll probably give you a look that will make you think twice.

 

Any good bar worth it's salt will not serve a single malt in a snifter! There is proper glassware for a single malt and it is NOT a brandy snifter.

[seeker630]

Any good bar worth it's salt will not serve a single malt in a snifter! There is proper glassware for a single malt and it is NOT a brandy snifter.

 

http://www.ehow.com/about_4597939_single-malt-scotch-glasses.html

 

 

The scotch glasses do seem to meet the definition of a snifter, at least according to Wikipedia (with the additon of the flared lip): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snifter

[orbital sander]

Not a brandy snifter...

 

Heaven forbid:):)

[orbital sander]

http://www.ehow.com/about_4597939_single-malt-scotch-glasses.html

 

 

The scotch glasses do seem to meet the definition of a snifter, at least according to Wikipedia (with the additon of the flared lip): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snifter

Actually, in my feeble, end of day haze I missed putting in smileys to deej's post because I was actually giving him a hard time...

[jgoo]

http://www.ehow.com/about_4597939_single-malt-scotch-glasses.html

 

 

The scotch glasses do seem to meet the definition of a snifter, at least according to Wikipedia (with the additon of the flared lip): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snifter

 

I'm not much of a scotch drinker myself but I have been following this thread as it is interesting to me. In the link about scotch glasses there was another link that talked about different types of glasses, namely tumbers, tulip shaped and crystal glasses. Well I learned something that I never knew:

 

"The lead oxide in crystal glasses gives it the sparkle and clarity that crystal is known for. Alcohol, including scotch, draws out this lead in the crystal the moment you pour your drink into the glass. The more expensive your crystal glasses, the higher the amount of lead they contain. Also, the higher the alcohol content of your scotch, the quicker the lead will seep out of the crystal. Despite the alcohol content and the amount of lead in the glass, the alcohol absorbs the lead at such a low rate that you can still safely drink from a crystal glass. However, storing alcohol in a crystal decanter over a long period of time does become dangerous.

 

Read more: Types of Scotch Glasses | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6909854_types-scotch-glasses.html#ixzz1h0JluWLg"

 

If this is true about the lead "leaching" out into the alcohol (even if at safe levels) I'm not crazy about drinking from a crystal glass much anymore.

[+ azdr0710]

oh jeez, glad Coors Light does it for me...or, when feeling exotic, a Tecate is exquisite.....