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Tried the B but not the GL 25. I have tried the GL 1941 though. The B is big and bold like a Caol Ila but not quite as peaty.
Hi, new to the Board, but not to Scotch (one vice at a time, I guess). Re the question about laying Scotch (or other whiskys) on its side, the correct position for a bottle being stored is upright. The bottles are closed with stoppers, not corks (yes, the part that fills the bottle mouth is usually cork, but there is a hard stopper atop that, which holds it in place). Placing them on their side adds to the Angel's portion (the evaporation) because of the nature of the stopper. Choose a cool place away from sunlight; Scotch doesn't age further or spoil once in the bottle (in fact, two cases of MacKinlay were found under Ernest Shackleton's shed brought there in his failed expedition to the South Pole; the bottles were more than a hundred years old, although being stored in sub-zero conditions helped to keep them fresh) Re recommendations, Scotch is only a little less subjective than fine wine. It depends largely on your taste, budget and envisioned uses. Most semi-serious drinkers have 3-4 types, and then choose the one that best fits their mood or the setting. * The Highland malts (Oban, Glenmorangie, Old Pulteney, etc) are often lighter and smoother * The Islay malts are heavy, tar, smoke and peat and will really knock you back if you're new to them (Laphroig, Lagavulin, Bowmore). * The Orkney malts are often overlooked, but are very good and not too harsh (Highland Park, Talisker). * The Speyside malts are amongst the most popular (Glenlivit being the most heavily advertised; Speyside is also home to The Macallan, Cragganmore and Ardmore, all pretty popular- Macallan has perhaps the widest following worldwide, and the price for a bottle increases almost every time you try to purchase one). Diageo and Campari respectively own a number of the distilleries in each of the areas, which is often good (they add quality control and expand access) and not so good (people buy what is advertised, and theirs are usually the most prominent brands you'll see in magazine ads, etc.) One recent wrinkle is that Macallan is following Ardbeg and others in a move to delete age statements and go by names or series numbers- they have their 1824 series that is sold only in duty-free internationally, so if you have clients or bosses you want to impress, you can get a bottle they can't buy otherwise. Since most folks use the age to give them a sense of quality, there may be a lot of confusion for the next few years, and the value of age-noted bottles (e.g., Macallan 18) will most likely rise. My collection's primary bottles are: Old Pulteney 21, Macallan 15, Cragganmore or Highland Park for before-dinner or when a lighter dram is desired. Right after dinner, the finest ones are appropriate; mine is a Macallan 18 or a Bowmore Darkest. For evening hours, I usually go for a Lagavulin 16 (great Scotch IMHO, and often overlooked) or Ardbeg Uigeadail, a truly wonderful, powerful drink. The majority of Scotch collectors drink their prizes, although some collect for value. For gifts, a good Glenlivit is perfectly fine; it's also pretty easy to find a good spirits shop, make friends with staff, and have them walk you through the choices if you want to buy something different (if the person knows their whisky, I'd buy an Ardbeg or Lagavulin; Glenmorangie is also significantly enhancing their quality in the past few years). At the top of the scale might be a Macallan 1824 in a Lalique custom bottle for about $2400 USD. If you're interested, you can pick up a copy of Jim Murray's Whisky Bible to see ratings and descriptions, and then enjoy the task of tasting and testing selections to choose your favorites. There are a lot of choices in each of the areas, many of which are fine drinks. Like art, wine and other things, buy what you like and enjoy it, spend enough to get quality, but not more just because of a name (the lables don;t add to the taste as far as I can tell...). OK, now that you know more than you may have wanted, I'm hoping this helps anyone who may have wanted a quick tour through the ins and outs of aqua vitae. Thanks, Bob H
Did Clint Eastwood use a period bottle of Johnnie Walker when he made the film " Letters from Iwo Jima ? If not, why ? If yes, how much would one cost ? And what type was it ?
The Scotch they used in the film was Johnnie Walker Red, one of their least expensive blends; and generally used for mixed drinks. It has been around since the 1920's or so, and was also the favorite Scotch of both Winston Churchill and Dick Cheney (not sure if Clint knew that when he chose the bottle for the film, but it was a ubiquitous brand at the time). JW Black has been around for about as long, and was the "better" choice for drinking straight. You might be able to find a bottle somewhere, but it didn't have collector value, and would be the spirits version of a garage find (in Grandma's liquor cabinet at an estate sale, etc.). I didn't focus much on single malts until I lived in the UK in the 90's and toured Scotland. The distilleries almost all had the feel of artisans at work, great pride in their product, and a joy of teaching others how and why to drink whisky. A near-perfect vacation might be to combine golf with whisky tasting (your score gets better each round, or at least that's the way you remember it). A perfect vacation would be golfing while whisky tasting, which is also practiced... Bob H
I must admit, I have enjoyed the distillery tours while living here in Scotland. I'm very close to the Auchentoshan and Glengoyne distilleries. As I have often recommended (leading some people to ask me via PM if I work for Auchentoshan ), my favourite is currently the 12-year old Auchentoshan. I've lost track of how often I've been on the Auchentoshan tour... quite a few times though, we're possibly into double digits now, as I always take house guests to the distillery. All the best, Andrew.
Took a shot and picked up a bottle of Japanese scotch. Yamakazi 18 It's a little thin but creamy with a nice finish, kind of like some highlands.
I enjoyed the 10yr Yamazaki I had a while back, the 18's a bit pricey for me though. Mr 'Beaker: which of the Auchentoshan range do you recommend? Edit just noticed you mention the 12yr in your previous post, knew the answer would be around somewhere.
I just picked up a bottle of Glenfiddich 15yo Solera...it's very smooth and enjoyable and a good buy at just $40.
Poured myself a nice glass of Dalwhinnie 15 tonight. It's been a while since I've had any, and I was reminded what a great scotch it is. Nice complex character with layers of vanilla, honey, spice, and maybe a tiny hint of smoke. With each sip you notice something different. But overall very smooth and warm, a very "friendly" scotch that will satisfy experts yet not scare off beginners!
If the Yamazaki's price drives you off, pick up a bottle of Hibiki 12; about half the price, and a very nice drink- Suntory owns both brands, and Hibiki has improved significantly in the past few years. Re Auchentoshan, the 12 is a nice dram; the 18 (at twice the price) is worth the bump if you want a similar taste with greater smoothness. Balvenie, a Speyside malt, is similarly smooth. Another options is a spirit I received as a gift- inexpensive, and a wonderful find. It is an Irish Whiskey; a Redbreast 12. Very good drink, only a tad shy of Midleton in quality for about a third the price. If you have guests who don't want a strong whiskey, and which has great taste (IMHO) Redbreast would be a good choice (along with a number of others).
Image Unavailable, Please Login Rolling Beaker-Style this evening. Bob, thank you for your terrific post: welcome aboard. I have my local liquor shop procuring me a bottle of the newly released Balvenie Doublewood 17: I'll report on it once I've sampled it.
Had a glass of my Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve again tonight. My friend from Milwaukee came by and found this incredibly smooth as well. Since I'm new into the scotch scene I would love to see what others have to think about this one. I prefer this over my Gold Label JW but of course different tastes for every palette.
Since it is a whisky, and not a whiskey (indicating Scottish origins, at least in spirit), 40 Creek is kind of a cross between the Scottish distilling methods and American Bourbon ingredients in a Canadian whisky. It is distilled in Ontario, and is a very good newer whisky on the market. The owner came from winemaking, and he approaches the creation of his whisky similarly re the way vintners blend the best varieties to make great wine. 40 Creek uses bourbon ingredients (corn, rye & barley) instead of Scotch whisky (which is almost always barley malt), but does not create a "mash" by combining the three grains together. They are distilled separately, and then combined and casked in proportions chosen by their master to achieve the right taste profiles (like being a Ferrari test driver, working as a whisky blender has a special appeal...). This is similar to wine processing methods. They do copper pot small stills, which the Scots also use to ensure quality control. If you like Bourbon or Tennessee whiskey, you'll probably like this a lot. If you like Scotch, the smell and taste is different (corn instead of barley malt) but the taste is great and you should also like it. 40 Creek's approach may portend more improvements in the Canadian whiskys (which have lagged behind the world market, unlike the Japanese, who are producing some excellent whiskies). If you're a lush (we like to be called connoisseurs...) it could be a good addition to your top shelf; their Barrel Select is $30-40, the Confederation is about $70-80; the Port Wood Reserve is priced similarly, and may appeal to Scotch purists who like Macallan. Still a rather new brand, so you might have to ask your guy to find it for you... Bob H
I went there and looked at the scotches, just because. They didn't have the Auchentoshan but they had one called Speyside 18 so I got it, just because of it's age. Not bad for the $.
Redbreast cask strenght. Port charlotte pc6 and pc9 Laphriog cask strenght and quarter cask. Auchentosan valinch Abelour abunadh batch 32. I would suggest the regular port Charlotte or redbreast 12 or laphroiag quarter cask as solid distinctive whiskeys.
