Scotch and Whiskey

[f0rge]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

I finally got to try Macallan the other day at a friend's bday at the bar, I had a glass of the 12. I can see why some people don't think it's worth the money, it's extremely smooth but maybe doesn't have as much character as some other whisky. I enjoyed it a lot (I'm pretty into the sherry), but at 46 a bottle I think you can probably do better. I haven't had the 10 which is in a better price range, but if the 12 were a bit under 40 I'd probably grab a bottle without hesitating. It's definitely good to have something pleasant and easy to drink like that. Decidedly better than the Glenmorangie 10 I paid 36 bucks for, but Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or and Quinta Ruban are the ones the 12 has to compete against, and I'm not sure it wins.

Man I'm starting to really resent you Americans and your cheap hooch. I paid $59 for the Macallan 12 in Portland,OR and I thought I was getting a killer deal. The cheapest Macallan I can get around here is the Gold (no age statement) at $65. The Amber (another no age) is $99.

I tried a glass of the Macallan 12 last night for the first time. I thought it was really nice, although strong on the sherry. Definitely goes down smooth.

[litemup]

@serialk11r, @f0rge, I think it must be the smoothness of the Macallan 12 that I find remarkable. Lacking character? Or is it balanced? Genuine question.

I'd love to try something you recommend. Glenmorangie Lasanta? Quinta Ruban?

Cheers!

[f0rge]

There's a whiskey for every mood. Some days you want punch in the face and reach for the Laphroig or Talisker and other days you just want something tame to sip on while reading a book.

There are some Islay-only guys that swear by the stuff and anything that's not a smokey peat explosion is "lacking character" or "unremarkable". Take every review with a grain of salt as everyone has their personal tastes and are therefore biased.

A nice one to try would be the Highland Park 12, it's a great middle of road scotch, nice and smooth with not too much bite and a very subtle hint of smoke in the finish.

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by litemup

@serialk11r, @f0rge, I think it must be the smoothness of the Macallan 12 that I find remarkable. Lacking character? Or is it balanced? Genuine question.

I'd love to try something you recommend. Glenmorangie Lasanta? Quinta Ruban?

Cheers!

After actually drinking some Macallan 12, I have to say it's balanced and remarkable. It's pricey but it's great stuff when the time is right. I'm trying to find more "sherry monsters" since I liked the Macallan 12 so much.

I haven't had Lasanta or Quinta Ruban yet

Yesterday I got some Glenlivet 18, and the bartender decided to pour me almost 2 full drinks worth (I think she looked at the bottle and decided the remainder wouldn't be enough for another customer?), and man that stuff is good. Makes me wonder why I don't want money more badly so that I can drink it all the time lol.

Also had Highland Park 12. 15 is WAY better, might as well cough up the extra cash for that.

[litemup]

Some time ago a more experienced friend introduced me to Laphroaig. Wow! Holy campfire, Batman.

Highland Park 1x. Thanks, gents.

[Fortis]

I went to a whisky festival over the weekend and had the opportunity to try some great scotches:

Bowmore 15 "Darkest"- amazing, very peaty and smooth with a burst of fruitiness at the finish.

Smokehead- A solid Isaly, very similar to Laphroaig 10.

Lagavulin 12 Cask Strength - WOW. Definitely in the top 3 whiskys I've ever had. Extremely smooth, balanced, far less iodine-ish than Lagavulin 16 and shockingly there wasn't much of an ethyl alcohol burn considering it was close to 60% abv.

Glenmorangie 18: Delicious, mild on the smoke, smooth as silk and the finish OMG. The finish was like pure peach. Never had anything like it.

[f0rge]

^^^Glenmorangie 18 is magic in your mouth.

[NJ10]

Subbed for the immense knowledge.

I'm more of a casual mainstream whiskey and coke guy, moving on from drinking to get drunk to actually appreciating the alcohol. Learning about beers now and will soon move on to this. Some of the best scotches I've tasted were Glenlivet 16 Nadurra and Johnny Walker Blue Label.

[rs999]

I'm a fan of Dewar's White Label and Bushmills Irish Whiskey both with a Coke chaser. But my everyday sipper is Evan Williams Black on ice.

[cdrazic93]

Me and my dad sat down the other night and had some lephroaig 18. It was really good I thought, smooth and tasteful. I had 4 more glasses lol

[synchromesh]

Originally Posted by f0rge

^^^Glenmorangie 18 is magic in your mouth.

Glenmorangie has quite a nice website. Gotta give that a try sometime. Also agree its another fleece-job to Canadians with how much we pay. No wonder we typically dress horribly as well.


Feels like someone slamming the door on your Yugo.

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by rs999

I'm a fan of Dewar's White Label and Bushmills Irish Whiskey both with a Coke chaser. But my everyday sipper is Evan Williams Black on ice.

Chaser??? Why would you want to wash down the wonderful taste with Coke?

Latest splurge: Aberlour 12
Kind of disappointed, 40% ABV tastes way too watered down. Fantastic nose, but weak when it hits your tongue Will give it another chance though, maybe my tongue just isn't sensitive today.

[f0rge]

Originally Posted by synchromesh

Glenmorangie has quite a nice website. Gotta give that a try sometime. Also agree its another fleece-job to Canadians with how much we pay. No wonder we typically dress horribly as well.


Feels like someone slamming the door on your Yugo.

Hahahaha. I would try the Glenmorangie 10 before you buy it. It's pretty tame but a good introduction to first time scotch drinkers. People call it "the white wine of scotch" because it's so mild and inoffensive. That being said it's not a bottle I reach for often. One of the few that I've had in my cabinet for a long time now.

Personally I think the Nectar D'Or is even sweeter but has more character, also good for first timers.

The Nectar, the 18 and rest of them, the Quinta Ruban and La Santa are also good but really hard to find in Canada and generally expensive. You can't really go wrong, but at the price they want you can get something better IMO. Especially the 10yr at ~$70.

[f0rge]

Originally Posted by NJ10

I'm more of a casual mainstream whiskey and coke guy, moving on from drinking to get drunk to actually appreciating the alcohol. Learning about beers now and will soon move on to this. Some of the best scotches I've tasted were Glenlivet 16 Nadurra and Johnny Walker Blue Label.

That's how it all starts. I used to be a huge Crown and Coke guy back in the day.

It's a slippery slope, once you buy one bottle or two and have better access to something good you really start to get into it.