Scotch and Whiskey

[Fortis]

I'd like to try Scapa. I love Highland Park and I read Scapa is the only other distillery on Orkney so it's probably good.

[serialk11r]

I noticed one of the popular local student-frequented bars here had Oban 14 and Talisker 10, I went for a Talisker 10 yesterday. Subtle peat mixed into a very Glenfiddich-like taste otherwise, with a hint of tallow/wax, and quite bitter. Interesting, but not really my cup of tea.

[Giccin]

Whiskey is the only thing that gets me. Even if I sip it..

Is there preferred way of enjoying this beside shooting it down?

[nlamon33]

Originally Posted by Giccin

Whiskey is the only thing that gets me. Even if I sip it..

Is there preferred way of enjoying this beside shooting it down?

Add ice or water to kill the bite. Or try a whiskey ginger if you haven't. Can still taste the whiskey but it goes down like a mixed drink.

[chrisl]

Originally Posted by nlamon33

Add ice or water to kill the bite. Or try a whiskey ginger if you haven't. Can still taste the whiskey but it goes down like a mixed drink.

Adding a bit of water is fine (it can bring out some different flavors, especially in cask strength whisky), but never add ice to good whisky. It just numbs your tongue so you can't taste anything.

[serialk11r]

Blew another 40 bucks today...Balvenie Doublewood! This one is really woody, I am quite fond of it. The sherry is also a nice addition.

Is anyone really fond of Oban 14? I am not sure if I should go spend 14 bucks on one shot of it at a bar to see if I should buy a bottle from Costco before their sale ends. Gonna get a Lagavulin for sure though, 55 bucks is too good to pass up.

[f0rge]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

Is anyone really fond of Oban 14? I am not sure if I should go spend 14 bucks on one shot of it at a bar to see if I should buy a bottle from Costco before their sale ends.

It's good, but I wouldn't pay full price for it, not worth it for me at that price.

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by f0rge

It's good, but I wouldn't pay full price for it, not worth it for me at that price.

Full price in this case is 45 dollars. Worth it?

[f0rge]

Wow $45? That would cost me $109 around here. Definitely worth $45, but I can't even get a Glenlivet 12 for $45...

[asdf]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

Blew another 40 bucks today...Balvenie Doublewood! This one is really woody, I am quite fond of it. The sherry is also a nice addition.

Is anyone really fond of Oban 14? I am not sure if I should go spend 14 bucks on one shot of it at a bar to see if I should buy a bottle from Costco before their sale ends. Gonna get a Lagavulin for sure though, 55 bucks is too good to pass up.

not a fan of the oban-- would rather get two lagavulin 16s

[Fortis]

I second that. Oban is harsh, very ethyl alcoholy. Nothing to write home about in the flavor department either. IMO, definitely not worth it for the price.

[f0rge]

Oban 18 is fantastic though, if you get the chance give it a try.

[serialk11r]

I feel like I'm dominating this thread with my alcoholic ways, but here goes another review:

Yesterday went to a bar for a friend's 21st, had a Kilchoman Machir Bay, Bowmore 15, and Highland Park 15. 2 days ago I had Lagavulin Cask Strength and Glenrothes Alba Reserve at another bar.

Kilchoman is a young whisky but it is extraordinarily smooth. Has a Laphroaig-like nose, and a delicious blend of fruity flavor (and not the nasty artifical apple Dalwhinnie "fruity"). If it were cheaper I would strongly consider a bottle, because it is extremely interesting.

Highland Park 15 smells very very close to Balvenie Doublewood 12, but in the taste department it is tipped towards the fruity notes and less complex. I don't detect smoke at all, but that might be because I drink too many peated Islays.

Bowmore 15 was a pleasant surprise. Light peat which strangely nearly completely evaporated away in 30 minutes, and the strongest caramel nose ever. I'm having some trouble recalling the taste as there were way too many different drinks last night. A ton of character, wish it were cheaper.

Lag Cask Strength (12 yr): Strangely they charged 13 dollars for a 1.5 oz drink of this compared to 12 dollars for a typical 40-50 dollar whisky. Bar pricing, makes no sense. I tried it without water, and my taste buds sustained a little acute damage. Alcohol burn totally covered up all flavor. My friend somehow drank the whole glass that way and enjoyed it. Adding water which I want to say brought it down to ~50% abv made it a very nice drink, although I think Lag 16 is better as it has a more complex taste.

Glenrothes: Another one similar to Highland Park or Balvenie, some caramel/vanilla layered over your typical Speysidey "fruity". My tongue was kind of damaged from the cask strength Lag but I thought this one was like a crappier version of Balvenie.

[robwbright]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

Kilchoman is a young whisky but it is extraordinarily smooth. Has a Laphroaig-like nose, and a delicious blend of fruity flavor (and not the nasty artifical apple Dalwhinnie "fruity"). If it were cheaper I would strongly consider a bottle, because it is extremely interesting.

I liked the Machir Bay so much I thought it was worth the $60 and bought a bottle. I consider it 95% as good as Lagavulin 16 for 20% less money. Unfortunately, the only place I've seen it for sale is out of stock.

This evening I bought and tried Monkey Shoulder blended - $32. It's actually a "triple malt" since it is a blend of 3 single malts with no grain whiskey. It's definitely worth the money.