What is the best you've had? What brand do you drink normally? I like Chivas and Johnnie Walker Black, on ice, no water or club soda. Johnnie Walker has a Blue Label that I am dying to try.
I drink only lighter, single malts as I do not like the taste of any blended brands. Glen F / 15Yr is a nice bottle for around $38 for general consumption in a glass filled to the top with crushed ice. For some reason, I can pound down a lot of them when served this way (Especially over a Cuban with Brother Darth!) PS: Don't ship scotch via UPS!
If you can find it, Bowmore Islay 30yr. Regarded as one of the best Scotch's every made. It is the signature bottle from the Bowmore distillery in Islay Scotland. GREAT stuff. Johnny Walker can keep on walkin if there is a bottle of this stuff around.
You did? http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42486&highlight=scotch http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41919&highlight=scotch http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26639&highlight=scotch http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14449&highlight=scotch http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3834&highlight=scotch And not really Scotch but good info; http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3350&highlight=scotch
Yes, I saw all of those posts too, but they didn't answer the questions that I asked in this post. Cheers.
The best I've had was a 25yo Longmorn. I also have a 13yo Murray McDavid Longmorn bottling that is fantastic. For my money, Longmorn is far and away the pinnacle of Speysiders. In general, though, I'm more partial to Islays. Lagavulin and Ardbeg for the smoky varieties, but I also love Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain, which I think don't get the credit they deserve because they depart from the classic Islay style. Looking over some of those threads cited in an earlier post, one thing about Scotch that they don't go into was the significance of the barrel in which the Scotch is aged. Most Scotch is aged in ex-bourbon barrels, but some is aged in ex-sherry casks. Scotch aged in sherry casks can take on a very distinctive flavor, which some people like and some people hate. Significantly, Macallan uses, I believe, sherry-casked whisky exclusively in the stuff it sells under its own name. There are so many sub-categories of Scotch that any recommendation has to be qualified by the category, for instance, Macallan is great...if you like sherried whisky. Ardbeg is great...if you like your malt heavily peated. And if you don't like either of those varieties, there's still a long continuum, from coastal/island whiskies like Highland Park or Oban to light Lowlanders like Auchentoshan, with Longmorn in the middle. So if someone asks, "What's a good Scotch?" it's tough to respond, because they might hate a peaty Islay but love a grassy Lowlander. Speysiders I suppose are the middle of the road (not to take anything away from them).
Caol Isla. http://home.earthlink.net/~fchat/images/Scotland2001/CaolIla.jpg If you don't like peaty Scotch, try Glen Goyne. No peat at all. http://home.earthlink.net/~fchat/images/Scotland2001/GlenGoyne.jpg Typically drink Balvenie Doublewood, but change around a lot.
The Blue label is smooth, too smooth. Everytime my friends and I crack a bottle we normally finish it in an evening. I also like Macallan 25. Happy Holidays.
Been nothing but Laphroaig or Lagavulin for the past year or so. Neat. I'm not operating on the same budget as some of the other gentlemen here, so no $250/bottle 30 year olds for me. Don't touch the blended stuff either.
