View Full Version : Whisky...?
Haselsh1
27-12-2015, 16:06
As I sit here and type this thought, it is Sunday, 27th December 2015 and I am messing with a couple of synthesisers and a handful of chords. At the same time, it has become apparent that maybe, just maybe tonight, I should have a whisky or four. There is a problem though, Speyside or Island...? Not too sure about the mood at the moment so maybe I shall take a while to decide.
Bourbon? Or even sippin whiskey from Tennessee :) got a bottle of 12 year old Fiddich for xmas but gonna keep that for a while.
Wakefield Turntables
27-12-2015, 18:01
Glen Morange 12 year single malt tonight. :cool:
Well, im up for that! I'll pour meself a dram of Balvenie Double Wood!
I am sorry ,but I am a lover of Teachers for some strange reason , but find single malts too dry for my liking:rolleyes:
I am sorry ,but I am a lover of Teachers for some strange reason , but find single malts too dry for my liking:rolleyes:
Ah , a lover of cooking whisky :)
I like Speyside usually. However, I seem to be sneaking West more often these days. I like these 3 just now.
Caol Ila
Scapa
Craigellachie 13yrs
all different in their own way
narabdela
28-12-2015, 09:55
Can't stand the Island whiskies, it's like drinking iodine. So it's Speyside for me, though some of the Highland and Lowland brands are tolerable.
Can't stand the Island whiskies, it's like drinking iodine. So it's Speyside for me, though some of the Highland and Lowland brands are tolerable.
Love Islay malt, I got a bottle of Lagavulin 16 for Christmas, had it before, fabulous.
My son has a bottle of Scapa 16yr old and it couldn't be any different from the Lagavulin but it's excellent too.
Lagavulin used to be my favourite (it used to taste of liquid Scotland - smoke, peat and sea), but the quality dropped significantly about 10yrs ago and now it just seems like expensive fairly typical Islay malt. So personally, I'd rather have something like Caol Ila (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caol_Ila_distillery).
Have you tried Lowland Malt? I went on a whisky tasting evening earlier in the year, and the Lowland Malts were a revelation to me. My current favourite distillery is Auchentoshan. You can often pick up a bottle of their Malt cheap at Tescos (http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=285332856), and it is well worth looking out for in my opinion.
If you are after a Speyside, I think Cardhu is lovely.
Wakefield Turntables
28-12-2015, 17:50
Glen Morange is a favourite. But you might you might want to try Penderyn, have a read https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-5251.aspx it's Welsh but bloody good stuff!
I have a peated Penderyn, and although good, it's not a patch on a good Caol Ila.
Haselsh1
28-12-2015, 18:03
I remember once buying and drinking a bottle of Port Ellen. It cost me around 38 quid and even though it would be worth hundreds now, at least I had the experience.
Strathisla is another Speysider. Easy to drink....maybe too easy
Eagle owl
29-12-2015, 06:36
I like an ordinary whiskey and dry ginger with ice from time to time. This Christmas I was given a bottle of 'The Ardmore' single malt. How do you guys usually drink single malt ?
I like an ordinary whiskey and dry ginger with ice from time to time. This Christmas I was given a bottle of 'The Ardmore' single malt. How do you guys usually drink single malt ?
Well I drink it neat, and slightly warm, sipping it in very small amounts. That way you get all its charms....if its a peated one like ardmore I would suggest putting a very small amount of room temp water; spring water is best; ay about 1/2 the mount of whisky at max but I would just try a splash initially. this will open up a smokey whisky and improve it no end and is the trad way to drink peated whisky.
ps Ardmore is very nice whiskey, although not to everyone's initial taste. if you give it a chance beyond the smoke nose you will enjoy
Wakefield Turntables
29-12-2015, 08:54
neat all the time.
If you get anything out of the Ardmore Geoffrey then try Laphroaig. Its imo the best of the islay smokers....its also nice over ice
Laphroaig, Talisker, Lagavulin or Connemara neat for me please.
...if its a peated one like ardmore I would suggest putting a very small amount of room temp water; spring water is best; ay about 1/2 the mount of whisky at max but I would just try a splash initially. this will open up a smokey whisky and improve it no end and is the trad way to drink peated whisky.
As a Scotsman, it pains me to admit that I dont like the stuff. However, my Sassanach wife loves it.
So much so, that on holiday in the Highlands this summer, we made a pilgrimage to Tomintoul to visit the Glenlivet distillery. Talk about a kid in a toy shop !!!!!
When asked how she took her tipple, she replied "NEAT". They suggested a "splash" of water to open up the flavours (as Grant said.) But we were surprised at how little they added. It must have been about a quarter of a teaspoons worth.
The guy stood back and handed my wife the new version of her nip....we all waited for her verdict..... anticipation mounting....but she couldnt tell the difference.
We all agreed that she needed more practice, to become an expert, so she has diligently been practicing since and feels she is getting the hang of it !!!!!
For me, it all depends on the Whisky.
When I buy a new one I taste it neat, and then add a splash of water to see which I prefer.
They suggested a "splash" of water to open up the flavours
On a whisky tasting, I was surprised the difference a drop (and I mean a drop) of water made to the flavour of the malt whisky. However, IMO it was almost always to the detriment. One or two of the malts tasted better, but the majority lost their flavours.
Some of the cask strength monsters really benefit from a splash of water.
Water here too, just a splash depending on the Malt but never ice!
I ordered a malt along with a pint of Guinness in a hotel in Oban recently and you should have seen the look the barman gave me:D
I got talking to the guy in the Whisky Shop in Oban, a real nice guy BTW who gave me a couple of 'samples' whilst we were chatting at about eleven in the morning:eek: anyway he was telling me that they sell bottles worth thousands of £ss to some locals who are hiding their cash from the tax man, he was telling me that young girls were coming into the shop and buying £3k bottles of Port Ellen 20yr old (I think) and when I asked him if they were buying it to drink he just burst out laughing.
I think you add water if you don't like the taste. Why buy it if you can't drink it?
Bit like buying an album and mixing the vocal out because you don't like it.
At the distillery, they add water for tasting sessions.
That would suggest that it is the done thing, but there are very few that I drink with a splash of water.
Some malts open up with a splash, and especially peated ones that can be a bit tight without it. Nothing to do with liking it. In Many bars in Ireland you get a glass or small jug of water automatically when you buy a whiskey.
narabdela
29-12-2015, 13:58
Ardmore is very nice whiskey.
Wash your mouth out with soap! Ardmore is whisky, not whiskey! :steam:
On the subject of adding water, when I visited the Deanston Distillery last year they used a pipette to add water at the tasting session.
The idea is that they want to sell more so add water thus increasing the appeal of their product.
It's much like lager, tastes like poop unless it's nearly frozen so must be served thus to appeal to the proletariat.
Dalwhinnie Distiller's edition for me. Also a fan of Cragganmore. Straight up or sometimes with one cube of ice.
narabdela
29-12-2015, 15:24
Dalwhinnie Distiller's edition for me. Also a fan of Cragganmore. Straight up or sometimes with one cube of ice.
Cragganmore?...Yes!
Ice?...No, no, never!
Wash your mouth out with soap! Ardmore is whisky, not whiskey! :steam:
On the subject of adding water, when I visited the Deanston Distillery last year they used a pipette to add water at the tasting session.
:D twas my protest at the abandonment of barrier filtration for chill.... They may as well add an E while they are at it.. Old Will and Adam would be horrified;)
Arkless Electronics
29-12-2015, 16:44
Ice should never be added to a decent whisky. Period.
Aberlour A'bunadh is a very nice cask strength and gets my recommendation. It does change all the time with different batches of course though....
Spectral Morn
29-12-2015, 16:52
I will be raising a glass of Black Bush to Lemmy tonight :(
Like a black bush mysel ;)
Haselsh1
29-12-2015, 17:02
I once bought a bottle of Balvenie Single Cask at 63% ABV and that completely changed with the addition of about 5mls of water. After the water addition, the whisky smelt very strongly of milk chocolate. It wasn't quite so aggressive on the stomach either.
Haselsh1
29-12-2015, 17:04
Laphroaig, Talisker, Lagavulin or Connemara neat for me please.
Absolutely love Connemara, one of the World's best kept secrets ;)
Ice snobs... If someone likes a bit of ice, they like a bit of ice. I like it neat, mixed, in cocktails, in coffee, with ice, without ice.
Arkless Electronics
29-12-2015, 18:51
Ice snobs... If someone likes a bit of ice, they like a bit of ice. I like it neat, mixed, in cocktails, in coffee, with ice, without ice.
They make Bells for people like you :D
They make Bells for people like you :D
I think that's better for cleaning PCBs. :D
I was in Morrisons this afternoon and they had some very decent malts at what seemed excellent prices, think the cheapest was £18, a Speyside I think, price range was from that to about £32.
https://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/getCategories.do?tags=%7C105651%7C103120%7C105916% 7C151509%7C151511&viewAllProducts=true&Asidebar=3
And, sorry to go off topic but they also had champagne at £9 a bottle.
Aberfeldy is nice but not really reduced. Aberlour is very good, and Ardbeg is probably the top buy., or old pultney
Aberfeldy is nice but not really reduced. Aberlour is very good, and Ardbeg is probably the top buy., or old pultney
I like the Ardbeg Grant, don't think I've tried the others though.
The cascade and the tailfire are both superb as well and worth buying if on offer(from the singleton)
The cascade and the tailfire are both superb as well and worth buying if on offer(from the singleton)
BTW, I'm getting a five pound voucher popping up when I go to that link, you have to spend £80 but that's a decent discount.
I've tried the Bunnahabhain and the Highland park, both superb IMO.
Another nice one is the Oban 14.
no voucher for lil ol me...its just favouritism ;)
Arkless Electronics
29-12-2015, 21:32
Ah the Ardbeg 17 year old....
no voucher for lil ol me...its just favouritism ;)
Aye it's disappeared here too Grant.
Eagle owl
30-12-2015, 06:53
Thank you for the answers to my query chaps. :)
My father in law puts orange squash in his whisky! I nearly had a heart attack when he went to add some to some malt I'd offered him. I have to keep some cheap rubbish around for when he visits.
My father in law puts orange squash in his whisky! I nearly had a heart attack when he went to add some to some malt I'd offered him. I have to keep some cheap rubbish around for when he visits.
My sister buys relatively expensive white wine from The Sunday Times wine club and then pours lemonade into it, mental.
Just ordered an Ardbeg Auriverdes.
I am tempted by a Connemara Distillers Edition, but how does it compare to an Islay malt?
Ah, The golden green:D Nice drop, and a bit like a good islay like Laphroaig. perhaps too expensive for my tastes but it is a quality dram. Lucky you, and a nice pressie to buy yourself.
It should go nicely with the Ten, Uigeadail, Supernova and Corryvreckan.
The nicer ones only get taken out on special occasions. :cool:
Sure it will. Nice when you have a decent top shelf; alas mine has been drunk :D
The Ardbeg Ten, Uigaedail and Caol Ila Distillers Edition I ordered at the same time are replacements for a rather sparse top shelf. :eek:
After listening to my system with the new feet on the turntable, I feel happy enough that I don't need to get a new cartridge just yet. My wife suggested I got a couple of bottles just before Christmas.
I caught her looking at a couple of websites this morning, so took that as a good omen.
You may like this for your top shelf too...its awesome stuff and getting hard to find
http://www.theonlineofflicence.co.uk/Pappy-Van-Winkle-23-Year-Old
or a nice George Dickel at a more reasoned price. Both are excellent American versions.
It's a bit expensive for me.
I set myself a £100 limit per bottle. Most I buy are well under that though!
Dickel is usually about £60 these days.. I have one bottle left, bought hen the dollar was weak, a case. Its fine sippin' whisky. and makes JD taste like piss water lol. it likes air though and I used to decant half a bottle and leave the other half in bottle. leave for a month, and you really have a drink to compare with the best.
Retrieved my stash lol
A right mixed lot it is too
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/31/b2d8771d9ec1bd4b99569a871d2e2394.jpg
Variety is the spice of life. :cool:
Lot some of this stuff goes back a while..the yellow label and flat Clarkes bottle hasn't been made for years. The pocheen is pure alcohol. Some nice brandy a good rum. Laphroaig quarter cask and morangie Quinta rubin which is lovely port casked best malt..14 years I think
Used to drink it neat. Lately I've been adding a couple drops of water, maybe about half a tea spoon or less. That's to a hoose dram.
My neeber adds ice. nothing wrong with that but I think it adds too much water to the mix as it melts.
Been lucky the last few years as my GF comes from Aberlour and some of her family work in the whisky industry (Craggenmore, Chivas, and Bowmore). There's always a few different bottle open on the drinks cupboard.
I normally have maybe one dram of an evening, perhaps two if I start early. I asked my GF if she thought I was drinking too much (a dram every night was a lot for me), but she said I was not drinking enough. Bless her:)
A wee story about my ma.
Her husband used to drink whisky straight. Coming from a NE Scotland farming background there was a fair bit of machoness about it all. For example if it was his shout and someone wanted a coke, or orange juice...he wouldn't order it as it wasn't a 'drink'....anyway I digress. He drank it straight and to make things simple he would also get the same to my mum. So I would watch my mum drinking this straight (Stewarts Cream of the Barley) whisky. The look on her face was always one of pain and it was obvious she was not enjoying it very much. I asked her one time why she didn't put water in it. Her answer was....................she didn't want to prolong the agony!
She now prefers Morgans and Coke if she's having a drink....she is 89.
Used to drink it neat. Lately I've been adding a couple drops of water, maybe about half a tea spoon or less. That's to a hoose dram.
My neeber adds ice. nothing wrong with that but I think it adds too much water to the mix as it melts.
Been lucky the last few years as my GF comes from Aberlour and some of her family work in the whisky industry (Craggenmore, Chivas, and Bowmore). There's always a few different bottle open on the drinks cupboard.
I normally have maybe one dram of an evening, perhaps two if I start early. I asked my GF if she thought I was drinking too much (a dram every night was a lot for me), but she said I was not drinking enough. Bless her:)
A wee story about my ma.
Her husband used to drink whisky straight. Coming from a NE Scotland farming background there was a fair bit of machoness about it all. For example if it was his shout and someone wanted a coke, or orange juice...he wouldn't order it as it wasn't a 'drink'....anyway I digress. He drank it straight and to make things simple he would also get the same to my mum. So I would watch my mum drinking this straight (Stewarts Cream of the Barley) whisky. The look on her face was always one of pain and it was obvious she was not enjoying it very much. I asked her one time why she didn't put water in it. Her answer was....................she didn't want to prolong the agony!
She now prefers Morgans and Coke if she's having a drink....she is 89.
retrieved my stash lol
a right mixed lot it is too
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/31/b2d8771d9ec1bd4b99569a871d2e2394.jpg
lets get pished!!
This guys awesome..
U9Kq5g9aIzg
lets get pished!!
Thats an idea lol. Thats just the stuff out in shed that i recovered. Theres a cupboard full of other stuff... Could open a night club
so is this guy lol !!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG0lj1poDgo
You might need to be scottish to get it though
The delivery arrived in time for the weekend. :cool:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1461/23917774310_cec9521abc_d.jpg
I have not had a drink since my last blood test, Dr. told me my liver function was shit at best.
And there is no cutting back I had to just stop.
So here I am well over a year later still not having gone back for the 3 month recheck I was suppose to get.
I used to keep a handle of Crown Royal at all times in the house after work and on week ends.
It's not the the most expensive whiskey but it always tasted the same (very consistent smooth) and never a need for ice or water.
You could get a case of 4X 1.75 liter = 7 liters on sale for $140.00 that's $20.00 a liter!
Very rarely did friends ever turn it down.
I also kept a bottle of Black Label around.
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