scotch suggestion

Sazerac is distilled by Buffalo Trace distillers, and is both expensive and hard to find in the Antique collection 18 year old label (if you can get it, you'll pay $275 US or more nowadays). Weller is another Buffalo Trace label, and is also getting hard to locate at more than $200 a bottle. They have a regular Sazerac Rye (nd) which is much cheaper and pretty good; if you want something close to the Sazerac 18, you could pick up a bottle of George T Stagg Bourbon for far less. If you want a good rye outside of the Buffalo Trace labels, Whistle Pig 100 or George Dickel 90-proof 5 year old are both excellent options IMHO.

Buffalo Trace also has other labels, most notably Pappy Van Winkle, the hardest bottle to find in the known world due to a bizarre rush on its limited releases the past few years. Of course, if anyone has a bottle they want to send to a good home, let me know.

 

And the collection begins

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Nice start!

 

I added this to my collection today!
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Waiting for a flight to Chicago, connecting through to Amsterdam for the holidays (Christmas Markets, and New year's Eve in Zurich; tough job, but someone's got to do it). It isn 0745, and I had the bartender add a shot of Jameson's to my morning coffee to be able to sleep on the flight. It reminds me how smooth Jameson's is, and how well it goes in Irish coffee. Merry Christmas, happy holidays and abundant drinking to everyone.

 

Bob, Garrett's popcorn is highly recommended at ohare

Happy holidays and have a safe flight!

 

nikka whisky "yoichi" 15 year. My new go to right now. the 12 is excellent as well.

Very good introduction to Japanese scotch

 

Thanks Tamas, I'll go on a popcorn hunt now that I'm here at ORD. Vincent, the Yoichi is an excellent whisky, and anyone wanting to venture out into Japanese whisky should consider it (it is, though, expensive at about $130 or so a bottle). Their distillery is the northernmost one in Japan, with weather similar to Scotland, which may account for the great taste and feel. I've been drinking a Yamazaki 12, distilled near Osaka, which is also quite nice.

 

Everytime I go to a liquor store intending to pick up a Japanese bottle, I cave and run back to the brands I know and love. I really need to give them a shot.

Tamas, that Lagavulin is EXCELLENT.



Mark

 

It was a toss between this and the oban. Yes every time I go looking for a scotch (including when I bought the lagavulin) I think of Bob's suggestion for Japanese scotch. I had on in my hand just recalling the names of recommendations is tougher vs just grabbing a Macallan for example.

 

OK, so when you think Highland Park or Macallan (three syllables) just substitute Hibiki, or when you think Auchentoshan, sub Yamazaki for a syllabic continuity lol. If it helps, you can call it "The Yamazaki"... The Hibiki comes in a cool bottle, too, and is an attractive addition to the spirits shelf.

 

Made a run last night to buy a few Christmas gifts, and one for myself. This was my first time trying Aberlour....wow, phenomenal stuff! Went immediately way up towards the top of my personal favorite leader board! (Goes great with Krispy Kremes too!)

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If you like Aberlour, try the a'bunadh - wonderful cask strength Aberlour. Also one of the best distilleries to visit

 

+1 ! though it's not my very favorite.

Just found this thread, read a lot but not the entire thread. Surprised that I didn't see any mention of The Balvenie. Apart from their very rare bottlings, their three most commonly seen scotches are a 10year old, a 12 year-old 'DoubleWood' aged in two different oak casks, and a 15 year-old Single Barrel. My everyday scotch is the DoubleWood 12 year old, my celebration scotch is the Single Barrel 15. Interestingly, the 15 year-old Single Barrel is bottled at 47.8%. Most whiskies are at 40% When I first discovered and bought it, ten years ago, the 15 year-old was at 50.4%. I still have two bottles of the 50.4% 15.

Balvenie is one of the very few Scotch distilleries that remains family-owned and not in the hands of a massive whisky/spirits conglomerate. Here's a clip from their publicity:


"All distilleries are unique, but The Balvenie is one of only a few handfuls of distilleries in Scotland that are still Scottish owned, and is the only distillery to hold onto what we call the FIVE RARE CRAFTS of whisky making: we grow our own barley, malt our own barley on traditional malting floors, we have our own cooperage, a dedicated coppersmith, and the longest serving Malt Masters in the industry in David Stewart. These facts along with the rich, complex, honeyed taste of The Balvenie make it the malt enthusiast’s favorite."

 

Balvenie is owned by the family behind Glenfiddich IIRC - certainly you can buy it in the Glenfiddich distillery. Balvenie Castle is next door, also worth a visit

 

Doublewood is probably my favorite scotch. Great stuff!

 

Even the "lowly" Aberlour 12 is pretty darned good stuff!

 

Today I just picked up a bottle of Elijah Craig 23.

 

I saw the release. You didn't happen to get a bottle of Parker's, did you?

 

No. I'm not familiar with Parkers.

 

New guy here.

I started out in scotch backwards; with Laphroaig.

I errored.

I've never really been able to appreciate another whiskey. Scotch palate ruined.

Everything else in the whisky family can be roughly summarized as "not Laphraoig."

A few exceptions.

Old Pulteney is the most unique expressions I've had outside of Islay. That salt is like nothing else on Earth. Lovely whisky.

Great thread!

Highly amusing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_ivP4xqeZo

 

Taste is so-o interesting. My brother loved Lagavullin, wouldn't even try other scotch whiskies. I can't abide it; to me it's medicine, like most of the Islays. Not surprising in view of the "peat smoke, brine and iodine" that is in the water from which they are distilled.

 

Same here! How does it compare to the Aberlour? I may have to give that a try.

 

just bought and tried the yamazaki which won the scotch of the year or something last year. . . Not bad and very smooth, but still prefer some of the more traditional "scotch".

 

I tried that as well, mainly out of curiosity. It wasn't bat at all but it was almost too smooth, like they were trying really hard to make it like something else, much like their cars.

Did you get that impression?